Hanging By A Moment
by lmyers3
Summary: 1,000 years after Avatar Aang, the world is crumbling. A corrupt monarchy holds all the power and the surviving citizens are plagued by a terrible curse. Rated T for later chapters. Future. AU.
1. Prologue

[-Prologue-]

"Could you let go?" the voice demanded harshly. It was strange and alien and dark, but it kept ringing in my ears.

"Could you let go?"

"Could you let go?"

"Could you let go…"

The scene changed, showing Toph. I almost screamed with relief. My heart was thudding in my ears and my pulse was racing much too fast. The heat was overwhelming. It was suffocating, maddening, torturous heat. I wanted to cry and beg for mercy, but there was no one to ask to help me. Then came Toph—ever the strong one, ever the reliable one. Solid as the Earth.

Toph. Toph would help me.

I tried to figure out how to tell her without screeching and feeling hot tears pour down my face. The slightest of breezes ruffled Toph's hair, however, and my heart stopped cold. Her eyes were pure white.

Not the kind of white that usually plagued the blind of society, but the absolute white that only showed up around the edges of the eye. The white that should not have been visible on any human eyeball. Chills racked me from crown to toe before my mind screamed, _Save her_! I twitched, but it was too late. The ground opened up and swallowed Toph whole. It betrayed her, betrayed me.

I tried to fight back the panic. Toph was gone. There had to be someone else to help me. Someone, anyone… I dug my nails into my palms until I could feel that instead of the heat, but then the new pain just mingled with the heat and I was so desperate for release that I was ready to beg for it.

Please, I wanted to say, just please make it stop.

Then Sokka was screaming, right behind me. He tried to come for me, sword outstretched. I saw the beads of perspiration on his forehead. Knew that he was suffering from the heat. I wondered if he could feel the invisible flames licking up his arms, if fire could get so hot that you couldn't see it anymore. But the blackness swallowed Sokka whole, leaving behind nothing but his brilliant blue eyes. They were wide with fear and terror, and I was rooted to the floor. I couldn't make myself move; it was becoming impossible to breathe and everything was spinning.

A new cry, this time behind me, and my treacherous body spun around in an instant. Katara, dressed in the red of the Fire Nation, fear etched into every line of her beautiful face, was being sucked away from me. Sucked away into a dangerous inferno that would have loved to roar up and around her, swallow her and take her away from me forever. The pain that shot through my heart was unbearable, so intense that I felt as if I would never recover. Everyone had their limits—I couldn't lose her. I wouldn't survive it.

So I ran after her, into the inferno, towards the fire and my inevitable demise. But then something cool sprung up around me, hugging my every muscle fiber and hardening into a perfect shell. Katara moved further and further away, her unuttered screams pounding against my ears. My heart, held together like a patchwork quilt, fell apart. I opened my mouth to scream but found I couldn't. So I screamed in my head, again and again, begging for someone to spare her. Instead, one shrill scream, louder than the others, floated towards me. And then a man's sinister laughter shrouded everything.

The tears flowed down my face and along the surface of my icy prison. I had lost her. I had lost my only reason for living… I was fighting for the safety of the world, but the world didn't mean a thing without Katara in it…

* * *

><p>I sat up in the pitch blackness, biting back a scream. My body was damp with sweat and the light humidity of the late evening was not helping the situation. I did a quick mental check: nothing hurt, nothing broken. I had just been having <em>that dream<em> again. It had haunted my nightmares every other day for the past month. I could only hope that the dream would vanish within the week, before I finally turned sixteen.

The most frustrating thing about this dream was the fact that I could not remember it in the morning. All I knew was that I didn't like what happened when I woke up. I felt a sense of dread that often accompanied me throughout the day and my heart wouldn't stop racing. And, of course, the aching sadness. The absolute pain of losing the one thing closest to the heart… I thought about what it could mean and shuddered: I had no desire to find out.

I knew there would be no sleeping for me after that nightmare, so I swung out of bed. I had only two mattresses and a closet in the room I shared with Aiko. She was still fast asleep. Moonlight poured in through the window, which my parents had forgotten to bar on the outside. I considered the window and the methods of escape it offered, including what incentives awaited me in the world. A small grin escaped my lips and I vaulted out the window, eagerly swallowed by the grasping shadows.

**A/N: Hello all! I meant to post this a few days ago, but didn't realize that docx files cannot be posted as stories. Whoops! XD Anyways, here we are. If you are confused, that's quite all right. You're meant to be confused. However, I will do my best to answer any questions that are not related to the plot! See you in the first Chapter :)**


	2. Chapter One

[-Chapter One-]

"Hikari…"

The warning whisper came out of the shadows, but it still sent chills up my spine. Makoto—_my Koto_—did that to me. He made me nervous for no logical reason, which I didn't appreciate. I considered myself a tough person, and the thought of being nervous over Makoto, who I had thrown in mud puddles when we were ten, was completely insane. Then I would remember the way his voice sounded, the perfect way that his shoulders sloped, and…

"Kari, what are you doing here?"

I shifted out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Koto—a lean mass of muscle fiber that seemed to be perfectly sculpted, somehow—did the same; I could see his muscles working as he moved. He came to a stop and his bare chest shimmered in the silver glow of the moon. He had a slight tan from the few outside activities that he had to partake in, and yet somehow he was all strength. It was one of the many puzzles about Koto—WHERE did he get those muscles from?

"I could ask you the same question," I pointed out.

"Not really, seeing as this is my front yard."

"This is the village common," I corrected him. He folded his arms over his chest.

"And you live nearly a mile outside of the village."

I was finding it hard to argue with him, but I did my best. It failed horribly. "Okay, so I needed to take a walk. I had… this freaky dream." He closed the distance between us in two strides and enfolded me in a hug. I relaxed into it for a minute, my head on his collarbone, before I pushed him impatiently away. "I'm not five years old, Makoto." Of course, my nose and my heart wanted more—he smelled like peaches and soap. I knew I must have smelled like dirty peasant to him.

"You are to me." His voice had a teasing note to it, which I hated a lot because it made him all the more attractive.

"Thanks," I said sourly, sticking out my tongue. He flashed that crooked little smile at me, the one that made my heart sputter and then try to restart itself. "So, what are YOU doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep," he answered. Koto ran his fingers through his chocolate-brown hair, which messed up his Half-Warrior's Wolf Tail; but as I studied him in the moonlight I decided that Koto could pull it off. "I'm kind of worried about Arisu."

My lip involuntarily curled into a sneer at Arisu's name. She was my best friend in the entire world, and we'd both gotten crushes on Makoto at the same time. The difference was, her dreams had actually come true. Our friend had reciprocated her love, while I was left alone to shiver in the cold. I actually shivered, a side effect of the moon's presence. While I liked seeing Makoto however and whenever I could, I would have infinitely preferred seeing him in the sunlight. The sun gave me strength and made everything brighter. The sun was happier, and the sun didn't seem as distant as the moon.

"Why the heck are you worried about Arisu?" I demanded.

Makoto opened his mouth to answer, glanced at me, and then shut it for a moment. Finally, "I'm not sure. She seems kind of angry with me."

"It's because you go camping all the time," I reminded him. "Why don't you just skip the whole thing and stay here? She misses you." Hastily, I added, "I miss you too, Koto."

"Kari," he sighed. His hand came up to toy with a small lock of my hair sadly, as if he was looking at it for the last time. "Everything is so simple with you. There isn't any room for doubt or indecision." I watched his beautiful brown eyes flash in the moonlight and realized that Makoto didn't know me at all. In that moment I was more insecure and indecisive than I had ever been in my life. "But I have to go camping. How else do you think that I can build up my muscle?" Just like that, the sadness was gone and he was grinning again.

"You're not that strong," I snapped.

"Really?" He lifted one eyebrow, something I'd always wished that I could do. "Then tell me, Hikari, how can I do THIS?" And he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

"Put me DOWN!" I screamed. My head was starting to ache and he was starting to spin around, which didn't help the situation. Desperate for something to hold on to, I latched my hands around his waist. I shut my eyes, locked my lips, and pretending that I was somewhere far away. Somewhere that smelled like peaches and soap…

My feet hit the ground again and I let my world stop spinning before I forced my eyes open. "You just disturbed the rest of five law-abiding citizens," Koto chided me in a mock-serious tone.

"Any citizen who's actually law-abiding doesn't deserve to sleep," I scowled. I was already in a strange mood from the spinning, and then he had to go bring up those ridiculous LAWS that plagued my existence… This meeting was not going at all how I'd imagined it. "And don't think that just because you're a little older than me—"

"Two months," he corrected me.

"Whatever. You can't just push me around like that."

"I thought I was swinging you." There was that smile, playing around his lips. But I wanted to be ANGRY… I turned around and stuck my nose in the air.

"Don't talk to me."

"Come on, Kari…" Koto pleaded. Without a sound, he was suddenly very close, his words floating around my ears. "Don't do that." I tried to ignore him and turned away. "Please?" he asked, and even though I heard the laughter in his voice I felt myself breaking. All it took from him were two well-placed fingers in my side and I burst out laughing.

"No," I said as firmly as I could, and pushed myself away. "I'm still mad at you." We both knew it wasn't true, but I couldn't let him win like that. So I ran back home, the entire mile, leaving Koto to stand alone in the moonlight.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And here is the first chapter, yay :) So now we have a name for our disturbed dreamer, Hikari. And we have a love triangle... cliche cliche cliche! Apparently when I was in high school I was a fan of such cliches. If they bother you, I apologize, but it's important for Hikari's development as a character.**

**As an aside, I will be going to Europe for the next week or so. Accordingly, it will be about... two weeks before I post a new chapter. Hopefully anyone who is reading this will enjoy it, and be patient enough to stick around. ¡Adios! :)**


	3. Chapter Two

[-Chapter Two-]

The next day, in the glorious sunshine, I returned to where Makoto and I had stood the night before. This time, we were not alone in front of the village mud pit.

"Arisu!" I shrieked. I ran at her full speed and wrapped my arms around her. She returned the hug gently; quietly she whispered my name. Arisu was so _tiny_, very slim and soft looking. She wasn't all that strong, and hadn't been since I'd known her. The edges of her straight, silky-black hair brushed against my fingertips—they were clasped around her mid-back. I pulled away and her soft, pretty, green eyes studied me curiously. I wondered what they saw… and shuddered.

I was kind of short for my age, especially compared to Makoto, but then he was a guy so that didn't really matter. I wanted hair like Arisu's, soft and shiny and pin-straight, or maybe even in a pretty color. But I had hair that only stayed soft for a few hours after the rare shower or more common bath. And worst of all, it was this strange in-between: neither a pretty brown nor a striking black. Something too light to be elegant but too dark to be earthy—I hated it.

My skin was inappropriately tan for a young lady, or so I'd been told, but I had no aspirations to become a lady so that didn't bother me too much. I didn't have a lady's figure, either: my body was all muscle, toned and defined from nearly sixteen years of hard work. Maybe that was why Makoto liked Arisu more than me; she had more money and didn't have to work so she wasn't as muscular or tan, and she just looked more like a lady. It would make sense, since Makoto's was the richest family in our decrepit little town. Or maybe Risu was just prettier than me.

The only thing that I'd gotten more compliments on than Risu were my eyes. Where everyone else in town had green eyes, or brown eyes, and occasionally the odd pair of blue eyes, I was an individual. My eyes were an amber color, the orange in a morning sunrise or the pure gold of a burning fire. I'd been told that they could be as soft as molten metal or as hard as daggers of translucent bronze. That they flashed pale gold in the moonlight, that they sparkled in the sun… I hadn't studied my eyes often enough to discover the threads of truth to these rumors. But my eyes were my one vanity, and I treasured them.

"Hey Kari." He greeted me easily enough, but my heart still thumped erratically. There was no hint in his tone that we'd met last night, although I was sure that Arisu knew. Koto told Risu everything; a stab of jealousy went through my heart at the sight of their hands tightly intertwined.

"Hey Koto." I hugged him, praying that he couldn't hear my heart pounding. "So, how is my favorite couple?"

"Fine." I wasn't surprised that Koto answered for the both of them. Arisu was the very quiet type, the one who would sit and observe while saying nothing, but memorize every line of the conversation. I usually talked to myself around her, with a couple of inputs from Risu. "You look considerably… better this morning."

"I took a walk yesterday," I told Arisu, "and ran into Koto. The idiot threw me over his shoulder. I should have puked on his back. Would've served him right."

"Kari, you know you can't talk to him without me there," Risu laughed. Her voice was surprisingly loud for such a small and quiet person, and when she laughed her entire face lit up. If anything, it made her more beautiful than before. "He just walks all over you."

"The jerk," I confirmed with a smile. "Besides, Koto, you know I hate the moon. I'm better off in the sunlight."

"You always were a freak," Koto snickered. I tried to punch his ears and he grabbed my wrist. I twisted away and landed a blow with my other fist before he pinned them both onto his chest. "Naughty Kari."

"You know me, Koto. I live to break the rules… teaches that stupid Empress a lesson."

"Maybe one day there'll be a—" Risu cut him off with a shake of her head, her eyes widening ever so slightly. Koto stared back into her eyes with a message that I couldn't read. They had both changed, somehow, in the few seconds that we'd been talking. Makoto looked aggravated… no, more than aggravated. His jaw was tightly clenched and his muscles were working visibly to swallow and his hands were balled into fists. He was furious, as if this was some sort of ongoing feud that I had never noticed.

And the change in Arisu was remarkable. My best friend, who I thought I knew better than anyone in the world, had altered before my eyes. She suddenly looked threatening, all that "softness" transformed into lean and powerful muscle. Her soft and feminine eyes were burning fiercely at Koto; in that moment I believed that she could easily take him to the ground and hurt him.

But then the moment was over and my hallucinations ended. Arisu was back to her softer self, though slightly sulky in appearance, and Koto was grinning easily once more. "Would you like to come over for lunch, Kari?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, we meet Arisu. Hikari's best friend... and that's pretty much all we know about her. I'm back from Spain now (obviously) and school seems to have become more stressful in my absence XD**


	4. Chapter Three

[-Chapter Three-]

"Do you know that I haven't been over your house in almost a year, Koto?" I asked randomly. The walk over to his front porch—all one hundred feet from the village mud pit—had been a terse and silent one. I didn't know what to do about it, because both of my friends were unhappy and more than anything I wanted them to be happy.

Well, I wanted Koto to dump Risu and come crawling to me, but since I couldn't have that, I would settle for their happiness. If I pretended hard enough, I could almost convince myself that I was glad they were together.

"That's why we arranged this venture." He sounded too upbeat and happy to believe his own words, but I didn't have time to analyze that. We came to a stop in front of Koto's house, a well-built and sturdy structure that put my ramshackle home to shame. The building had obviously been constructed in recent years—no more than two hundred years ago.

When "the problem" first arose—no one named it, because that was bad luck—many of the old houses had been burned. Then the monsters came, destroying much of what was left. I lived in a post-monster era home, built out of the remnants of other buildings. It amounted to four walls of rotten and scorched wood. It was tiny and cramped, but it was a roof over my head. Koto's, on the other hand, had a nice front porch and a solid front door. The wood was of the finest quality, too. If I remembered correctly, he even had his own bedroom.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Risu protested.

"Nonsense," Koto snapped. "She can handle it."

"She's too impulsive."

"Hey!" I protested hotly. Were they _seriously_ going to talk about me as if I wasn't even there? And I was _not _impulsive! They both ignored me and walked right on into his house without knocking, which I guess was okay for them but I felt a little insecure doing that. I hadn't been there in a while: how would his parents react? I forced my blank mask over my face and strode in. Though I hadn't walked the wooden floors in almost a year, I knew the route to his room as if I'd traveled there daily.

It took me through the kitchen, where his parents sat eating… whatever meal was appropriate at this time of day. I didn't eat meals too often; it kept me skinny but always hungry and I couldn't be bothered to name the few meals my family could afford. It was called food, if anything, and then it was gone.

"Hikari!" Koto's mother came over and hugged me, but I could see the unease in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"What she means is that it's been too long," her husband corrected easily. "You should come over more often, Kari. We miss your ray of sunshine in our lives." I found myself laughing: Koto's parents had always been like a home away from home for me; we had grown close when I was younger and used to visit every day. This time, though, something was wrong. The air was thicker, filled with tension. "Well, I'm sure Koto is waiting for you in his room…" He jerked his head towards the one door left ajar and I moved on. Their eyes pierced my back until I was out of their eyesight.

I stepped into Koto's room, not sure of what I would find. It wasn't that much different from what I remembered it to be: hardwood floors, a sturdy bed with an actual _frame_ and a thick quilt, a chest of drawers to hold his clothes that wouldn't fit into his closet, and some abstract painting on the wall that we'd completed when we were five years old. There was a map, relatively new, covered in white dots.

"What's that, Koto?"

"Map of the world," he answered. I studied it: a giant land mass, the only one on the planet. It was oddly off-center, though, with large stretches of ocean above, below, and to our left. Koto had also labeled—mistakenly, I assumed—odd places in the middle of the Ocean: North Pole, South Pole, Southern Air Temple, Gates of Azulon, Ba Sing Se, The Serpent's Pass… All sporadic dots in stretches of blue. I found our town, Gaoling, at the southern tip of the land. Somewhere to the north was Omashu; all I knew about that abandoned city was that Koori nearby. Another label, this one slightly larger: Cave of Two Lovers. It was all gibberish to me.

Makoto and Arisu were sitting perfectly still on the edge of the bed, as if terrified that I would go into some sort of shock. I didn't understand why until I realized that they were staring at a Pai-Sho table in front of them.

"Nice, Koto," I announced. "But I didn't have you pegged for the Pai-Sho kind of guy."

There it was again, that significant look between Risu and Koto. "I picked it up in the last year."

"About the same time you started camping," I observed lightly. My heart was thumping erratically again, but not because Koto had all of his attention on me. No, it was the atmosphere that existed throughout the household: tense, apprehensive, and uncertain. I had the feeling that it was directed at my presence. I had the feeling that everyone here knew something I didn't. Whatever it was, however, I was completely in the dark. That frustrated me: I just wanted to _know_.

My eyes wandered to the Pai-Sho table, desperate for a distraction. I had no clue as to why this Pai-Sho table was so important. I barely even played Pai-Sho. It seemed incredibly boring and pointless: why would I play Pai-Sho when I could work and make sure that Aiko could eat a meal tomorrow? I had been looking forward to spending my day off talking with my friends, and instead I discovered that they were hiding something from me. Something big, it would seem.

"So…" I began to break the silence. "How do you play?"

"There are many strategies," Arisu said. She was so stiff and formal, as if I weren't her best friend and we hadn't laughed over countless things together. It was confusing. I didn't let it show on my face.

"I prefer the White Lotus strategy," Koto added evenly. The disbelieving look that she shot him threw me over the top. I couldn't take this weird feeling that I was getting: nervousness and traces of fear roiling around in my stomach. How could I feel that way _here_? In Koto's room, where we'd made forts and played at sword fighting like Yuudai and basically lived together for fourteen years? I got up and excused myself. I left the room, but I couldn't bring myself to go back to Koto's parents and their staring eyes. So I waited just outside the door, breathing and trying to calm myself down. I was trying to steel myself so that I could face my _friends_… what was going on?

His voice, mingled with Risu's, floated to my ears through the doorway. "…don't see why we can't—"

"It's too dangerous, Koto! We're not even supposed to discuss it among ourselves!"

"She can handle it, I'm telling you!"

"She's too impulsive. You know it and I know it. I know you miss her, Koto. I miss her too. But we can't drag her into this. She would put herself in danger, and she would put all of us in danger."

Was this my best friend talking about me like that? Her voice had an unfamiliar edge to it, something that I never heard. I wondered, not for the first time that day, exactly how well I knew my friends.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," he snapped.

"What?" She was angry, incredulous.

"I'm going to go talk to him and see what he has to say."

"I can't believe you could be so stupid! What am I supposed to do if—"

"You can handle it," he reassured her. "This is what you've been training for, Arisu. If he comes back while you're still here, you will be able to handle it. You know what you have to do. Get him out safely, get him to us. Besides, what are the odds he'll show up here anyway?"

It wasn't doing me any good to listen to a conversation that I didn't understand, so I walked back in. They were both sitting in the exact same positions, as if nothing had changed. But I could read Arisu's face like a book. She was angry, and betrayed. Her eyes didn't show it—the new creases on her forehead did.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"I'm going camping tomorrow," Koto told me. I noticed that right away, that he told _me_ and not _her_, because Arisu already knew about it. A voice in the back of my mind whispered that it this no camping trip.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Weekly update Wednesday! :) So here we are, and I finally have a review to answer!**

**Thanks so much, Tainted! I really do appreciate the virtual cookies and constructive criticism ^.^ Also, you were right with regards to the smile "escaping" her lips during the Prologue.**

**Who do you think Arisu and Makoto are talking about? What is the mysterious "problem" Hikari mentioned at the start of the chapter? Any and all guesses are welcome, just send a review my way!**

**Finally, thanks to all of my silent readers out there. Even if you don't want to speak about it, I appreciate your interest!**


	5. Chapter Four

[-Chapter Four-]

I trudged home down a dusty road, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of being followed. My mind was buzzing over what I had overheard in Koto's room. What was I supposed to be able to handle? And who was Koto going to see, specifically? I randomly remembered one other tidbit of information, when Risu had cut Koto off the first time. He had said, "Maybe someday there'll be a..." What did _that_ mean? What was coming? It sounded like Arisu had to protect it, or maybe stop it… I wasn't sure and all of this puzzling hurt my head. I focused on the one truth I knew:

My friends sounded like they were in trouble. Well, I was going to help them in any way that I could.

I turned absentmindedly off the road: if I followed it, it would take me somewhere far away. I had to loop back towards town, jump a fence designed to keep people out, and then get out of the alleyway before turning left and finishing the route towards my shack. It seemed complicated in my mind, but I knew it was the fastest way there. Much faster than getting caught in the traffic of traders and others who dared brave the elements. Ever since The Big Event, nearly one thousand years ago—not that anyone knew what it was anymore, since the Empress had made us burn all of our records—storms raged upon our little planet constantly. When it wasn't storming, it was brightly sunny: complete opposites within two hours of each other. It was mind boggling and strange. I was pretty sure that our ancestors hadn't had to deal with any of that, but, as I said before, I couldn't be sure.

The sun was fading fast, and the wind tasted like it was going to rain tomorrow. I sighed to myself: my strength was fading with the dying rays of the sun. Tomorrow was not going to be a great day—I could only hope that the sun would be out in full force on my birthday, that the storm would have passed by then. Perhaps, I decided optimistically, it would only be a week long storm. Maybe it wouldn't be a month-long storm, like the last one we'd had. Or, if I was really lucky, it would last exactly five days. No one had ever seen a storm shorter than a week in nearly one hundred years. But this year, people said, the weather was looking up. It was something in the air, in the water, in the people's hearts…

I just wanted the sun, no explanations please.

I hopped over the fence easily, staring at the ground. My feet were moving automatically towards their destination; I didn't hear the raspy voice until it was practically upon me.

"Well hello there."

My head snapped up. Unfamiliar voice—a shot of energy raced through my system. I took a cautionary step back, two, three, until I could see the opponent clearly. He was a guy about my age: soft brown hair, darkly tanned skin, and sculpted muscles. A wild gleam lurked in his brown eyes, however, and that threw my mind into a panic. This guy was one of the undesirables in our town, not that I was desirable, but I had some money and stature, and my clothes were in better shape than his. My shirt wasn't ripped and tattered, just patched over several times. I wore pants, which was one of the many reasons I was an outcast among females, but they were all that I had: hand-me-downs from my father because my mother was too small for me. At least my pants had the air of some care for them; his were ripped and practically reaching above his knee.

"You look like you're pretty well off, babe." I shot him a dark look, my father's words reverberating in my ears: _Don't trust strangers_. Keeping my eyes on him, I took a step back. He took two forward. My pulse leapt and spiked. I backed up again, and he advanced further. I was too afraid to turn my back on him and run, but he could definitely outrun me in our current positions. "Aw come on, you got nothin' to be afraid of. You can trust me."

I nearly gagged—his voice was sickeningly reassuring. His mouth curved into a predator's smile and he took a step closer. I scrambled backwards again, keeping my face in a controlled calm instead of showing what I really felt: fear. He was crooning incoherent things now; with two more steps towards me I'd have nowhere to go.

"Hikari?" A voice sharp with surprise and painfully familiar, painfully quiet and innocent. No, my mind said. Arisu couldn't be here. That would put her in danger because of me. I remembered feeling followed on the way home—so that had been _her_ all along…

Like something out of a nightmare, that guy moved past me and continued shuffling on towards my best friend, who waited just behind me in the alley. In that moment, it didn't matter that she'd taken Makoto from me. It didn't matter that she was prettier than me or anything else. She was in trouble, and I reacted without thinking.

My legs were incredibly strong for my size, toughened from years of work and playing tag in my pathetic excuse for a front yard. I leapt towards him and knocked him in the back of the knees; he got up faster than I'd expected and hit me in the stomach. My fear was dissipating as the fight intensified: I punched him back. Like Koto said, I wasn't exceptionally strong when compared to others. But this guy had been living on the streets for months, probably, and he was weak from hunger as well.

I glanced at Arisu—she was still standing in the back of the alley. Her expression was a strange mixture of horror and exasperation. Like she was terrified for her and me and yet annoyed that I had tried to help her. "Arisu, _go_!" I shouted, but she didn't move. Then something connected solidly with my knees and I tumbled to the ground. Everything started to blur together; I thought I felt a kick or two to my stomach, and I knew there would be some bruises on my legs. One well-placed kick flung me backwards. The length of my body scrabbled on the dirt, curled with my head close to my knees. Then there was a blow to my forehead, and my vision exploded. I saw stars for a split-second before the back of my head cracked against something hard. The world went dark.

It might have been hours, minutes, seconds later when I finally opened my eyes. My head hurt every time I blinked, and couldn't someone have explained to me how _bright_ everything was going to be? I tried to uncurl my legs, which screamed in protest. My lip was cracked open and I could feel the dirt all over myself. I stretched my back—another groan of pain—and then sat up. The alleyway started spinning; I fell back against the wall of a house and breathed calmly. The air that I was getting made me dizzy.

A pair of gentle hands braced me. "Are you okay?"

"Arisu?" I moaned, swinging my aching head around to look at her. She looked back at me and relief pounded in my heart. She was okay… but how? I gave her a mental-once over. There was a cut on her cheek and dirt smudged on her forehead. Her breathing was slightly uneven, as if she'd been running. A spectacular bruise bloomed on her right shoulder, and I was pretty sure that her right knee had a scratch on it somewhere. "But… how?"

"You saved my life," she whispered back. The gratitude in her voice seemed real enough, and I found no trace of a lie in her eyes, but it didn't match my memories.

"No," I protested, sitting back up. The world didn't spin once. "I didn't do anything. I got knocked out when you were in the alleyway."

Her mouth thinned ever so slightly, something only a best friend would notice. "Don't be silly, Kari. You stopped that person from hurting us. From hurting me. Thank you."

I didn't say anything, just let my best friend help me up and limp slowly home. I didn't mention that I saw no sign of the guy in that alleyway, and that he had definitely been there when I collapsed. I didn't bring up how she'd gotten her numerous scratches, or that she was far too wounded to be a mere bystander. I let the knowledge settle in my heart: my best friend was lying to me. Where did she learn self-defense? That guy was at least twice her size; I couldn't even take him. What was Risu doing with her free time? I didn't know. I found that I was looking at her like a stranger. My best friend… was a stranger. The thought was rather disconcerting.

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><p><strong>AN: Hah, so Arisu isn't as fluffy and gentle as we thought! Anyone surprised? I just find people like her to be fascinating :D**

**Thanks for your review, Tainted! It makes me smile to know that you like this story so much! I'm looking into a virtual cookie jar for all of your cookies ;) They smell delicious though hahaha**

**See you guys for next week's installment!**


	6. Chapter Five

[-Chapter Five-]

I hadn't been hoping to get much attention when I arrived at home. My parents were busy. I understood that. My mother always found time for whatever my little sister, Aiko, wanted to do—and if she didn't have the time, mom got me to entertain her. And I didn't mind that, either. Aiko wasn't such a bad kid. She was very pretty, with eyes—warm and dark and fine-lashed like one of those expensive dolls we couldn't afford—that could melt my heart. Aiko had the dark hair that I'd always wanted, silky and pretty and perfect. She was nice, and more than anything in the whole world she wanted to be just like me. Sometimes it was annoying, and on other days it was what kept me going.

My dad, on the other hand, was tall and lean, with lots of muscle—kind of like what I'd "imagined" on Risu earlier. His many times great grandfather had once been some sort of royalty, around the time of The Big Event; that was where my eye color came from. Dad didn't have my eyes. He had the other trait of the family: bright blue eyes. It was kind of weird, really: Aiko had mom's soft, pretty brown eyes, and they both fit into the world just fine. Perfect little girls, both of them. Aiko loved wearing skirts like a girl should, and I always did her work for her which kept her skin fair; they would be accepted anywhere. My dad and I had the different colored eyes, though blue eyes were slightly more common than my amber ones. We had the dark brown skin of field workers, and we were kind of misfits. We didn't even really fit in with each other: he was all for rule-following and obeying Empress Koori. I would have loved to set Empress Koori's Palace on fire and watch it burn.

So, since my dad and I didn't really agree on the whole "rule" thing and we didn't have much else in common—besides working on someone else's field for meager pay six days a week—we didn't really interact all that much. My mom was always busy with some party Aiko wanted to go to; I took Aiko's jobs so that she would be able to do whatever she decided she wanted to do. Aiko had that effect on me: she could make me do anything at any time for any reason. I spoiled her often.

And that was why I wasn't expecting anyone to notice my presence at home. But there they were, all three of them, with a strange visitor in my living room. I limped in, wanting only to go take a bath using the cold bath water left over, and instead found myself being glared at by three sets of eyes. I said _glared at by three_ because my sister was just blinking at me, as if I needed a reminder that I was in huge trouble.

The visitor was not so much a visitor as "extended family," unfortunately. He spent a lot of time in my house, trying to get me in trouble for various offenses. His name was Aku, and he headed the Chen Li of Gaoling—another one of Empress Koori's stupid institutions. He was a tall, sinister type of man, with a long dark braid and a crisp, official uniform of green and gold. His eyes were dark brown, nearly black, and when he spoke to me they flashed dangerously.

"Hikari. I wish I could say that it is a pleasure to see you again, but…"

I scowled at him: I knew for a fact that I had done nothing wrong during the day. Sometimes it seemed like he lived to torture me. "What do you _want_, Aku?"

"I apologize for my daughter's rudeness," my father said stiffly. "What seems to be the problem?"

Aku smiled at me again—yes, he lived to torment. I knew that smile meant trouble. Big trouble. "We have eyewitnesses confirming your daughter attacking a harmless civilian in the streets an hour ago."

My mouth nearly hit our dirt floor. As it were, I was assaulted with the taste of dust and the scent of rotting wood. "I… what… _what_?"

"Hikari, how could you?" my mother gasped. "A harmless civilian? Is this the kind of example you want to set for Aiko?"

"But mom, I—"

"Hikari, how many times do we have to ask you to stop this? It seems like every other day Aku has to come here because you've done something wrong! That's the fourth time this month." I was seized with the urge to leap on Aku and strangle that stupid smirk off his face. I wasn't sure what his personal vendetta was against me—unless it had something to do with the time I'd accidentally set his robes on fire—but I'd never seen him strike this low.

"I didn't _do_ anything," I insisted from between clenched teeth. "That guy attacked _me_." My parents just shook their heads and apologized over and over again, unnecessarily, to Aku. He nodded, as if it personally bereaved him that my best friend had put a psychotic criminal off the streets. Before he left, Aku shot me a withering glare that promised this wasn't over. I rolled my eyes back and gave him a saucy wave, which didn't really help the spreading blackness of anger in my stomach. Then again, punching out the head Chen Li would probably get me whipped. His entire face darkened before he swept out of my house.

My father steered me forcefully through our dilapidated home before pushing me back onto my mattress in the bedroom I shared with Aiko. He immediately launched into a long speech about how disappointed he was in me, how I should have set a better example for Aiko, why would I attack a harmless person in the streets, did I want Aiko to have a pleasant life, and pretty much blamed every one of our problems on me. Eventually winded, he sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, so I shrugged out from under it.

"Hikari," he sighed, "I know it's hard to follow the rules. But rules are all we have. When the world fell into chaos, people hunted each other and burned houses, families, because one of the children had special abilities." I knew what he was talking about; everyone remembered tales of those dark days nearly eight hundred years ago by word of mouth. "We have to follow the rules or we'll fall back into chaos."

"But dad," I started in protest. The look he gave me indicated that I shouldn't argue, and so I switched to the voice of reason. "I know you want to follow the rules, Dad. But what if the rules hurt us? Like, us as a family?" I had another question that I did not voice: what if the rules, which gave absolute power to the Chen-Li, took me away for something I didn't do?

"It won't come to that," he told me confidently. "The rules and laws are around to benefit us and keep us safe. If there is a law that seems to hurt us, it's because we don't understand the intentions of our wise Empress." I didn't answer him, and I suppose he took that to mean some kind of understanding had passed between us. He patted my shoulder a bit awkwardly, and then got to his feet and left me there in the rapidly approaching twilight. I rolled over, ignoring bruises and aches, and punched my thin pillow with some violence. I put various faces on it: Aku, Empress Koori as I imagined her to be, my father in his rule-loving stupidity, Arisu kissing Koto, Koto walking away, that creepy guy in the alley…

"Hikari?"

I paused in my violent activities to look over at my sister. She had both of our blankets on, because the nights were cold and somehow I never needed any extra heat. It was like my body made its own heat. But she was fragile, more so than me, and so I gave her what she needed.

"What is it, Aiko?" I growled, not really in the mood for talking.

She was on her bed, lying on her side, staring over at me with her big round doll's eyes. "I don't think you did anything wrong," she whispered.

"Go to sleep," I grumbled, and rolled away from her to stare at the wall.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello my friends, and happy Wednesday! :)**

**Thanks to tainted creativity for your continued support. I really appreciate it! And I still love those virtual cookies, please keep them coming if my story merits it!**

**Anyways, meet Aku. He's kind of a jerk and (as we see here), hates Hikari. A lot. We also see Hikari's family dynamic. Even *I* find her father to be extremely frustrating, and Hikari's personality doesn't take well to frustrating people. Maybe she's kind of like me in that respect?**

**Have an awesome week everyone! Don't be afraid to review, or shoot me a PM with any questions you have. Next update will be fun :D**


	7. Interlude 1: ?

[?]

I looked up again. It was so hard to believe, but there were TREES hanging from the sky. I didn't know what I was walking on. I didn't even really want to know. I just wanted to go HOME, back to my mom and my dad and my village. Where was I, anyway? How had I gotten here? I shut my eyes and tried to remember…

Pictures came back to my mind. It was my eighth birthday. I smiled at that—made it through eight years. There were only two years left until I was home free, until my best friend Aiko was home free. She was very pretty; I was going to marry her one day. I remembered thinking that right before… something went wrong. I frowned. I couldn't remember it. There was me, talking to Aiko after she got out of one of her parties, and walking her home. Then blackness and I was suddenly here.

It didn't make sense.

Since my mind wasn't working right, I tried to think some more about this place. Where did the trees float in the sky? Everyone knew that Empress Koori had all of our books burned, and no more books were allowed, but everyone else knew that trees didn't float in the sky anywhere. At least, I didn't _think_ they floated in the sky anywhere.

The place I was in was really quiet. Really, really quiet, like I shouldn't talk very loud or I could get in trouble. That was what happened when I talked outside of Aiko's parties while I waited for her. These ladies in fancy dresses came out and shushed me. I was going to throw mud at their dresses one day, see if that would make them leave me alone.

"What are you doing here?"

I looked around, surprised, and found a boy a little bit older than me. He was wearing brown pants and an orange shirt, but the orange shirt only covered one of his shoulders. He had weird blue tattoos. His face looked like he might care about me, just a little bit. Plus he sounded very worried, like I wasn't supposed to be wandering around alone. Him being nervous made me nervous, and suddenly I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering. I felt really tired, like I'd spent all day playing with Aiko in the mud. I felt really lonely, too, and I started missing my mom so much that I actually broke down crying.

Well, it wasn't all out crying like I was some kind of _girl_, but I could feel tears in my eyes at least.

The boy put a hand on my shoulder. "You're a Bender."

Bender… I hadn't heard that word in a very long time. Bending wasn't something mom or dad talked about too much. I wasn't even all too sure what Bending was. Was _that_ what I had been doing before I got here, in the time I couldn't remember? I thought harder than ever, remembered leaving Aiko at her house, walking home… I got really angry because one of the other kids was making fun of me, and he didn't have any reason for it at all except he had money and I didn't. So I jumped on him and then the next thing I knew all this water was attacking him and he ran away screaming.

Suddenly I just knew. _Oh. _I was a Waterbender. The word made me all shivery.

"I guess so," I said. "So does that mean…" I swallowed. "Does that mean that everyone I know thinks I'm crazy? That I'm walking around and talking to stuff that doesn't exist?" He shook his head.

"I can't really know for sure. I've never seen this happen, but I'm worried that this is my fault."

That didn't make much sense. "How could this be your fault? And how can you have never seen the Sickness before? It's been around since… since forever."

He didn't even pretend to answer my question. His eyes looked very sad. "What's your name?"

"Manchu."

"Are you ten years old yet?" he asked. I shook my head and he sighed. "They just keep getting younger…"

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You're in the Spirit World," he answered.

That place sounded familiar. "You mean that place where Yuudai—"

"Shh!" He put a hand over my mouth and looked quickly around. "Don't mention him here, understand? Some things still hold grudges against him." I nodded silently and he pulled his hand away.

Then I knew the one thing that I wanted. "Please, sir, can you help me?" It sounded strange to call someone my age sir, but if felt like the right thing to do. It seemed like the kid was actually a lot older than he was letting on. Older than anyone I knew or anyone still alive.

He shook his head no. "I can't send you back home. I'm sorry."

"But I want to go home!" I said. I felt those tears in my eyes again, but I wasn't going to cry a second time… well, I didn't really cry the first time either, but that wasn't the point. "I miss my—well, that is to say, I need to take care of my mom. And my friend, Aiko. How can I marry her if I'm here and she's there?"

He smiled at me, and I decided it looked a little sad. "She might join you soon enough."

I shook my head. "No, sir. I don't want her here. It's scary, and she'd start crying all over the place."

"Look," the boy whispered, glancing around. "If you really want to try to get out of here, look for Hei-Bai. He's like a gigantic panda bear. I'm going to try to find a more permanent solution." Then he was gone, and I was lonelier than ever. I started walking but I didn't know the ground and I tripped a lot. Soon I was soaking wet and I could have been crying—but I wasn't because I didn't cry—for all that I knew. I started to get really cold and scared, and I just wanted someone to help me get out. Without that kid there to help me, I didn't know if I would ever get out.

_Find Hei-Bai,_ I reminded myself. _Just have to find Hei-Bai, and then I can see Aiko again._

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the lateness of the update! I'm also sorry it's so short. Time just... slipped away from me this week, to be honest X.X**_  
><em>

**Thanks again for your review, Tainted :D I really like your guesses and your hyper responses. They make me smile, almost as much as the virtual cookies! Are you TRYING to make a female version of santa claus? You might succeed at that...**

**Anyways, this isn't technically a chapter. It's kind of like... an interlude. You can expect one every five chapters, just to help piece together things that Hikari can't experience. If you've got any questions/comments/concerns, shoot me a message or review! I'll still update on Wednesday, see ya on the flip side :)**


	8. Chapter Six

[-Chapter Six-]

I was on my way to work for Mr. Hatsuo. His seventeen-year-old son enjoyed harassing me and making crude jokes when I was within earshot. Apparently that was his way of "wooing" me, since he loudly announced to the entire village that he was going to marry me someday. That was ridiculous—as if his father would ever let him marry a hired worker in the first place. Plus, he was a total pig and I would run away before I let myself be wed to that creature. I shook his face out of my mind with determination and a simple thought: Koto was the only man for me. Even if Koto didn't exist—something that I could not imagine no matter how hard I tried—I would never crawl to that immature swine. But a piercing, tortured scream broke into my thoughts and stopped me in my tracks.

"Please!" I looked up in shock from my position near the village mud pit.

The figure kneeling in the sloppy mud was that of a child, I realized; a young boy. He seemed rather familiar, with floppy, flyaway sandy hair. I studied him a moment longer before it clicked: Manchu, Aiko's best friend. They hung out together all the time when she wasn't at some type of party. He was worse off than my family money-wise, but he could still afford decent clothing and a house. I liked Manchu; he was a great influence for Aiko, because every lady needed to experience rolling around in mud—or at least they did in my opinion. He looked up at the building behind me then, desperation etched into every line of his face, and I was chilled to the bone:

His eyes were pure white.

As if my eyes were burning him, he whimpered and shrank away from my gaze. But he wasn't staring at me; he was staring at that building right behind me, as if it were advancing on him. Suddenly he clapped his hands over his ears and literally folded in half, screaming. My ears were ringing but I couldn't bring myself to shut out his pleas.

"Hei-Bai, no! He said that you could help me!"

I didn't know whom Manchu was talking to or what he was talking about, but I headed over to help him anyway. Somehow, one of the other villagers beat me to the punch. She was at his side, whispering quietly into his ear. I hesitated, curious if this motherly figure would be able to sooth the child.

"Hei-Bai! I need your help!" the boy insisted, his voice jumping another octave. He didn't even acknowledge the other villager, though his eyes passed over her several times. I suddenly understood that the boy couldn't see the villager at all. The villager seemed to understand as well, because dawning comprehension passed over her face. She scurried away as quickly as possible, as if Manchu's condition were contagious.

"Hei-Bai!" the boy wailed again, and I felt as though my heart were breaking in two. I knew what was wrong with the boy by now, though I had no idea what "Hei-Bai" was, or who had sent Manchu to that creature. My worst fears were confirmed when the boy lifted his tiny fists in frustration and the water from the mud rose up around him in the air. He was a Waterbender.

I ran to him, splashing through the mud and ruining my finest work clothes, although that wasn't saying much. I knew I would probably hear about it from my parents that night, but I didn't care at all. I cradled his head delicately. Manchu jerked in my arms, and turned his milky white eyes to stare up at me in wonder. "You," he breathed, and I pulled away in shock. "_No_!" he screamed, and wrapped his grubby hands around my shirt. "Don't leave me, _p__lease!_"

"Step away from the child, Hikari." It was the voice that resonated in all of my angry dreams; the ones where I hunted down the people that I didn't like. Needless to say, I enjoyed the success of those dreams. Also needless to say, I did not appreciate Aku's presence here and ignored him. But what truly disturbed me was Manchu: he didn't even acknowledge Aku's existence. He hadn't sought out the source of the other noise. Being a Bender meant not hearing or seeing people in the Physical World. Everyone knew that. Why, then, could Manchu hear me? Why could he _see me_? What was going on?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello friends-also known as Tainted and my silent reader fanbase. Welcome to the next installment!**

**So, although Tainted made an awesome guess, Manchu is NOT dead. He is somehow trapped between the Physical World and the Spirit World. And for some reason, he can see Hikari in the Spirit World. How interesting... (insert random hypothesis here)**

**Also, Tainted you may feel free to use an Interlude if you want. It isn't really my idea, it's just a style of organizing chapters :) So go for it! And thanks for the cookies!**

**Finally, one last treat for you all: I know this chapter is very short. DUE TO SHORTNESS, WE WILL HAVE A DOUBLE UPDATE TODAY! *confetti and party balloons* I know you're all so very excited. I figure that we can have one early in the morning (aka, right now around 2 AM) and one later on today. Between 5 PM and 11:59 PM EST? I shall see you soon; enjoy!**


	9. Chapter Seven

[-Chapter Seven-]

"Please," Manchu begged. "You're different; you're not like the monsters. I can tell. That's why you're glowing."

"I'm what?" I demanded, but he had started rambling and he would not stop to answer my question.

"I saw you after Hei-Bai left me in the fog… it's so cold here, and I was afraid I'd never get warm again, and then I saw this blue light. I ran to it as fast as I could. I needed to see someone again, someone with two legs and a face, just like me. And then there you were, blue and glowing. You won't leave me, will you?" His words scared me. Blue lights and creatures without faces or legs? Where did he think he was? I forced my fears and questions away; Manchu would not be able to answer them for me. It was something I would have to think about later.

"There's no fog," I tried to croon to him, but I had never been much of the reassuring type. I just hoped that the familiarity of my voice would do something. I wished, not for the first time in my life, that I had the gift for helping people instead of hurting them. That I could reassure people like I wanted to. Instead, I swallowed my sadness and did my best. "And I'm not going."

"Can you help me out of this fog please?" the boy wailed. "I need to get back to Aiko."

"I'll bring you back to Aiko," I whispered, but at that moment a cool hand clenched on my shoulder and literally ripped me away from Manchu. I fell down into the pit with a cry. Mud splattered on my back, chilly in the pre-storm partial sunlight. I sprang back up right away, all but breathing fire. "You can't do that!"

Aku regarded me coolly. "Yes, I can. Let's TRY to stay out of trouble today, shall we Hikari? Although we both know that's impossible." Behind him, Manchu was screaming and thrashing in the diluted dirt. Two Chen-Li agents quickly subdued him and tied his hands and feet.

"I didn't do anything wrong yesterday," I snapped, although we both already knew that. "Now you get away from him. He wants to see my sister."

"Sorry, peasant. Koori's orders." With a flick of his wrists, he unrolled a very-official looking scroll for me to read. I wanted to punch him in his smug face for the look he was giving me. "What's the matter, Peasant? Can't you READ?" If I clenched my teeth any harder, they'd break out of my head. "By the order of the High Empress Koori," Aku dictated in his stupid smug voice, "all children possessing the ability to Bend are to be apprehended by any force necessary and transferred to a rehabilitation center in Omashu. Violators of this law will be severely punished." _More like persecuted_, I thought rebelliously, but I didn't have the time to dispute technicalities such as that one. Manchu's time was ticking.

"You can't take this boy away from his family!" I insisted.

"But I can. I have supreme authority over all of you. And besides, what cruel person would keep this boy from a chance at a normal life?" Aku asked innocently.

I marched up to him, wishing that I could punch him in the face and actually have it be effective in some way. "I know you, Aku." I studied the sickening grin on his face and gritted my teeth. "If this law makes you happy, there is no way it's a rehab facility in Omashu. I don't know what makes you happy, but—"

"Tormenting insolent children such as you makes me happy," he snarled. I opened my mouth to retort when a slim hand came to rest on my shoulder. I turned to yell at whoever it was, found my best friend Arisu behind me—where had she come from?—and before I knew what was going on I was twenty feet back. The Chen-Li were walking away with my sister's best friend, and the citizens of Gaoling were left to deal with a new law forced on us by our nutcase of a ruler. Not even the sudden burst of sunlight could ease this new chill.

I vaguely heard a door slamming around me, recognized the smell and straightened. "You can't just walk into Makoto's house!" Arisu ignored me, and I found that I couldn't pull away from her iron grip. She was, indeed, much stronger than I had first thought. Koto's parents got to their feet in shock when we paraded through, but Arisu flashed something in her hand at them and they backed away respectfully. I was so freaked out by the entire experience that I hadn't felt anything for a good five minutes. But once we were safely inside Koto's room—with its now-familiar wall map and oddly placed Pai-Sho table—everything came rushing back.

"Stop it, Risu," I commanded, although we'd halted a good five seconds ago. "What's going on?"

"We're going to talk," she announced, and she sounded so unlike Risu that I needed ten seconds to come up with a response. She sounded surprised, and scared, but determined and strong and… prepared.

"Does this mean I'm getting some answers?" I demanded. Maybe she knew what Manchu was doing, or where he'd been. What if she knew why some people glowed and some people didn't? I started forming a list of questions in my mind, and I was so preoccupied I almost missed her answer to the first question.

"That depends," Risu conceded, and a smile flickered about her lips. "On whether or not you'll like what you hear."

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><p><strong>AN: Hey guys! So, clearly I fail. This should have gone up last night, but I ended up Skyping with my best friend from home... Obviously, time got away from me. So many apologies!**

**Aku is up to no good being his big old jerkish self (again). Arisu is still being strange and mysterious. And apparently Hikari glows in the dark now! We've got ourselves quite a crew!**

**I will see you on Wednesday, folks! (promise ;D)**


	10. Chapter Eight

[-Chapter Eight-]

Her reply was, in the worst sense of the phrase, extremely irritating. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" I snapped. "Look, I know something's going on here. You and Koto have been hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is. If you don't tell me right now—and I mean where he is and what you two are doing and _what_ just happened out there—then I'm going to…"

Risu laughed at that. She laughed right in my face. Now I know that I'm not the most patient girl who's ever lived, but even I was surprised at myself when my hand flew up and struck her face, hard. She stopped laughing then, but my angry red handprint still colored her cheek. "What _exactly_ are you going to do Kari?" she spat, her eyes narrowing. "No one knows what's going to happen. Not you, not me, not Koto, not that demon Aku… not even that impostor of an Empress, Koori. We're all swimming in untested waters."

Even though I understood her motives, I was not in the mood for her cryptic responses. "Enough of this," I growled. "You tell me, right now. We are _friends_, Risu. And I'm tired of you lying to my face about everything!"

"Fine," Risu snapped. Her voice was dark, and cold. "But first you have to give me some answers." Before I could protest, she placed two hands on my chest and pushed me down onto Koto's bed. When I landed, his comforting smell of peaches and soap wafted around my nose. It cleared my brain; I forced myself back into a calm little box. I had to be calm under pressure. A small voice whispered to me that I was playing a very dangerous game. Losing would definitely sting a little.

I was considering getting up when Arisu said, "If you even try to move, I'll break your arm." My eyes narrowed in betrayal and an apologetic look crossed her face. "I'm sorry, Kari, but I don't have time to fight with you right now. I need to know what happened out there. Just tell me what I want to know, and you'll get your answers." Her features hardened again and she got herself ready to listen. Her moods were starting to make my head spin.

Arisu was changing again, into that dangerous predator I had seen momentarily outside of Makoto's house. I didn't know this Arisu. I didn't know how she would react to me, or what limits could be tested before she snapped. Somehow, observing her stature, I was sure she meant business. Whatever was going on with her and Makoto, she needed to know what had happened to me. It was important to her… and, by extension, to my personal safety. I wrestled for a moment with the idea of lying—my pride wanted to triumph in this situation—but ultimately decided that course action would be unwise. I settled for honest terror.

"I was walking to work… Oh, no, Risu; if I'm late for work Aiko won't get—"

"It's a noble cause," she cut in sharply, "but Aiko will have to go without today."

Her words were like a lightning bolt to my chest. I jumped to my feet, heated: apparently this caught her off guard because she stumbled back a couple of steps. "Aiko does _not_ go without," I snarled. "You're my best friend. I've given up a lot of stuff for you. I gave up sleeping, I gave up my favorite flowers, I gave up Makoto…" Her eyes flashed at that one. "So don't you tell me not to sacrifice for my little sister. You can't just take everything away from me and then keep me from her. Now get _out of my way_." Who did she think she was? And what in the Spirits was I doing? This was _Arisu_, my best friend, who was disrespecting my family and forcing my little sister to starve. She knew how much Aiko meant to me, and she… she… My heart hardened in that moment. I was done.

"No," Risu said firmly, as if she could hear my thoughts. "There's something stirring, Kari." A note of urgency crept into her voice. "Whatever it is, it's very powerful. Koto and I, we can both feel it." I was barely listening. The blood was thrumming in my ears and I practically saw red. "It's enough to make Empress Koori nervous. She's started rounding up all of the Benders, which she's never done before. This is serious, and those Benders are our first clue. You heard him talking. I need to know. What did that boy say?"

I thought about it. She _sounded_ desperate enough for her words to be true, and I hated being mad at her. But I had to get to work, and if I didn't then Aiko wouldn't get her second meal today. That, in the end, was my ultimate reason for compromising. "He said that he was lost and looking for Hei-Bai. He couldn't hear or see anyone…" After a moment's thought I left off the part about him talking to me. Something in the back of my mind was whispering that once Arisu discovered that tidbit, I would never be allowed to leave. "That's all," I confirmed. She stared at me for a very long time, but I didn't let myself flinch beneath her gaze. I had no idea of the passage of time: seconds, minutes, hours? I was not going to bend or break. _She doesn't deserve the full story,_ I reminded myself. Internally, I was screaming and calling her every terrible name I could think of. But I was silent. Risu nodded and moved aside, granting me access to the door.

I closed the distance to it within two strides and was halfway out when her hand closed around my wrist again. I turned back to stare at her pretty eyes. "Kari… if there's anything you're not telling me…" She didn't have to finish. I just shook my head while she searched my eyes. After a minute or two, she dropped my hand. But there was something in it. "Hold on to it," she called, "in case you encounter some trouble." I ducked my head and hurried out past Makoto's parents, into the spreading cold.

Snowflakes whirled around me, falling thick and fast until I could barely see. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself: I hated the cold. Heat was life and strength. Instead of focusing on the freezing temperature, I thought about what Arisu had said. The more I thought about it, the more angry I became. Who was _she _to rip me off the streets when I could have saved Aiko's best friend? Who was _she _to keep me from work—our conversation had taken up any time that I had to complete a job—when Aiko needed me to do that? Who exactly did Arisu think she was, or worse still: who had my Risu become?

For the first time that day, fading into late afternoon, I opened my ungloved palm. A brusque wind stung harshly against my hands and cheeks; my entire face went numb and snow collected along my eyelashes. Wind made my eyes water. But I could still see it: the tiny, perfect circle of a White Lotus Pai-Sho Tile. I remembered something Makoto had said, in a time long ago, back before crazy boys screamed at me and my best friends betrayed me: "I prefer the White Lotus strategy…" My scowl deepened; had Arisu _wanted_ to rub it in my face that she had Makoto while I had no one?

I was passing by her house—Arisu's house. The wind was howling, mixing with her instructions in my brain: "Hold on to it in case you encounter some trouble." But it was making me angry. This new Arisu had no respect for boundaries, or personal pain. The new Arisu cared only for this strange thing that she and Koto did together, something I could never be part of because I wasn't "capable" enough. The new Arisu was no longer my best friend.

Seized with a fit of anger, I brought up my right hand and flung the stupid Lotus Tile towards her front door. It connected with a satisfying plink and then rolled neatly into the snow that had already collected on the ground: the storms were numerous and powerful since The Big Event. I walked past the Tile's location without a second thought, without a worry or a care. My friend had left me out in the cold, and I was leaving her foolishly pointless token behind me. After all, what good would a Pai-Sho tile be?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Can't believe another week has come and gone already! AH! So terrifying! Plus, it's my last week of classes and then next week is finals week... and then after that RA training for the new school year, and then summer (whew!). Almost time to break out the sunglasses; I'm pumped! :D**

**Thanks again for your review, TC. Even if you were "late," totally fine because any review is a great review! AND your reviews always make me smile... maybe it's the cookies? Hahaha. As for turtles, yes I do like them! I'm more of a fan of penguins-I collect penguin things, actually-but turtles are really fun to draw :) You like turtles?**

**And there we are. Psh, White Lotus Pai-Sho tiles are TOTALLY overrated. Right, everyone?**

**See you next week.**


	11. Chapter Nine

[-Chapter Nine-]

"Hikari, please?" Aiko whined, trailing me from our shared bedroom to our pathetic excuse for a kitchen.

"No, Aiko," I sighed, trying my best to be patient. I loved Aiko to death. I would go to any lengths for her, and I knew she loved me and looked up to me. But I didn't want her working at all; more specifically, I didn't want her walking home from work at all. The strange boy in the alley still haunted my mind… I shivered when I considered what could have happened to my baby sister.

"_Please_?" she begged for the hundredth time that minute. A tiny hand clasped the edge of my green shirt and pulled; I turned to meet her brown eyes, seething with exasperation. Aiko stared up at me, her silken black hair hanging down her back. Her angelic face was set into a pleading expression that few could resist.

I didn't understand why she wanted to follow me around so much, why she admired me so. SHE was the one that everyone loved. I just lurked around in the shadows, more athletic than pretty and definitely not an engaging person to talk with. "No," I repeated.

"Please, Hikari?" she asked again. I looked down at her and instantly regretted it: her eyes seemed a hundred times larger than normal and were practically welling up with tears. That was always what got me, and she knew it. I couldn't stand to see her cry. Silently, I nodded, and the tears vanished. She leapt for joy with a squeal thrown in.

"But you stay by my side," I instructed. Aiko stared up at me eagerly, nodding. "Don't wander off… don't get hurt." My heart thumped out of time for a few seconds. "Don't talk to strangers, don't leave my sight—"

"Can I play with Manchu?" Aiko's voice was so innocent and curious that I remembered I hadn't told her about her friend yet. A lump formed in my throat as his screams and pleas rose to my mind, unbidden.

"I don't think Manchu's working today, Aiko," I whispered. Not wanting to answer any more questions about the half-insane little boy, I grabbed Aiko's hand and we crossed our living room in two strides. She gamboled along beside me, a huge smile splitting her face open. She laughed and pointed out our tracks in the fresh snow, and icicles hanging over our heads, and the pretty way that the snowflakes fell; her mood was so infectious that I found myself joining in.

Then she stopped in the middle of the road and coughed. Terrified, I whirled around and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" I demanded. My mind was already racing: _She can't get sick. I can't earn enough to afford her medicine. Dad? No, even with both of us I would have to borrow money from Makoto… But if he gets caught doing that he'll lose his head…_

"Yes," she answered. Her voice seemed somewhat strong, but I studied her face a little closer and found the slightest hint of a flush in her cheeks. Alarm coursed through me: _was_ she getting sick? "What's wrong, Hikari?"

"You shouldn't work today," I decided.

"No, Hikari, don't be silly!" she protested. "I can work. I want to work with you."

"Well I'm not sick," I reminded her brusquely. "Come on, Aiko, we're going back inside."

"_No_!" she said fiercely. "You can't tell me what to do. Well, you can, but I won't listen. If you put me inside then I'm going to sneak back out and come and work anyway. I like spending time with you! Don't leave me alone Hikari, please!" Aiko brought out the eyes again. With a heavy sigh I took her hand a second time and we continued down the road towards our jobs. "Besides," she muttered, and I detected some rebellion in her tone, "_You_ should be staying home, not me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, but my mind wasn't really on her statements. I was frantically going over our options; how would we treat Aiko if she got sick? I would have to stay home again to care for her, which meant less money to buy food for myself. Usually I gave up half of my meal to add to Aiko's when she wasn't looking, so then _she_ would get less food as well. Maybe I could just skip dinner. I'd never tried that, but then I'd never missed two days of work in a row before…

"You don't eat anything." She said it accusingly, like I was doing something wrong.

"So what?" I demanded, keeping up our pace to my job. I was counting on the blood flow to get Aiko warm and keep her from getting cold. She was already wrapped up in my threadbare jacket, sleeves rolled several times. There wasn't much else I could do for her, unless I gave her the shirt off my back. The wind bit harshly into my bare arms but I barely noticed; I could only focus on getting Aiko inside and out of the cold, no room in my head for myself.

"Why don't you eat anything? I know some of the girls at my parties don't eat because they're afraid they'll get too fat…"

"People with money have that problem, Aiko. We can't afford enough food to get fat."

"And aren't you cold?"

"No. Since when are you taking care of me?"

"Since you stopped taking care of yourself!" Aiko stopped in the middle of the road and I was afraid that she would start coughing again: we were nearly halfway there and it would waste so much time, so much food, to go back. But to my amazement, she shrugged off her coat—my coat—and threw it at me. I caught it, stunned. "I know you give me food that you should eat. And I know that you need this coat, so put it on!"

"I'm keeping you _alive_," I hissed, irritated that she would reject what I was doing for her. She stuck her nose up in the air and marched on in her threadbare coat. I hurried up to her side, held out the coat in a peace offering. "Please, Aiko, put the coat on."

"No," she snapped. "I'm not putting it on because it's _yours_. And I don't want my favorite big sister frozen in the snow. You want to take care of me so much? Then start taking care of yourself." I half-smiled: when had she gotten so stubborn?

"You've grown up," I observed quietly, but I put the coat on. It wasn't for my sake, but for hers when she inevitably grew cold. At least the jacket would be warm. "When did you grow up?"

She slipped her hand up into mind and we continued down the road. "We're sisters. We take care of each other." I'd told her the same thing, time and time again, when she was much younger. I didn't think that she'd actually paid attention. "I know you'll always be there for me, Kari, even when we're fighting. And when I get older and I can actually do something for you, I'll be there for you, too."

I was about to answer with a comment about stopping the sappy flow of love, but then Aiko stopped dead for a third time. Her eyes were rooted on a location just up the road, black and smoldering. I squinted for a moment, uncertain, and then I understood what I was looking at. Up ahead lay the burned and charred remains of what was once Arisu's home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Awww yay, sisterly fluff! I suppose it's not really fluff, because there's underlying tension about voluntary starvation and death... but oh well, the emotion is fluffy :D**

**Mitsuko - Yay for reuniting with old friends out of nowhere! Woohoo! :)**

**Tainted - Thanks for your review! Aaaaaand now Arisu's house has burned down. Oh dear :(**

**So, finals are a little bit (a lot a bit) CRAZY! One final tomorrow morning and a 12 page paper the next day... that's all that stands between me and my relaxation time... Please pray for my sanity x.x Hahaha :) See ya in a week!**


	12. Chapter Ten

[-Chapter Ten-]

We walked home from work the only way we knew how, and that meant we had to pass by Arisu's home again. This time, there was a crowd of people around it. I had originally been focusing on ways to get Aiko to don my jacket, which she was still refusing. But the crowd caught my attention—or more specifically, the flashes of green and gold uniforms caught my attention.

My lip curled instinctively, and at my side Aiko whispered, "What are the Chen-Li doing here?"

"I don't know," I answered calmly, but my heart was telling me that there was something I was missing. That morning, I had been forced to choose between investigating what had happened to Arisu's house, and going to work with Aiko. There was almost no element of choice at all: if I did not work, my sister did not eat. So I had passed by Arisu's burned house trying not to look too closely at it; I was distracted at work and only just managed to fill my quota for the day. After some quick trading on a few black markets, I was ready to go home.

In retrospect, I should have done my own investigation first. Now that the Chen-Li had arrived on the scene, I wouldn't have a chance to see what really happened. Perhaps I was being paranoid. Maybe the Chen-Li WEREN'T there to cover up what had destroyed Arisu's home. But then I remembered who I was dealing with: Aku, the biggest liar and manipulator that I had ever met. He knew, as well as I did, that the only thing capable of burning down Arisu's home was a deliberately set fire. The fire pits of our homes were set down in a pit in the dirt floors. There was no danger of our home catching fire from that. Of course, I did not know who would have wanted to burn down Arisu's home. Aku probably wouldn't tell me. Still, I had to try and find out.

So I walked boldly up to Aku, my most loathed enemy, and smiled. "Good afternoon, sir. What seems to be the problem here?"

His reply was dangerously curt and reserved. "A fire took this residential dwelling late last night. There do not appear to be any survivors."

My heart started hammering. I don't even think I had realized that I was still holding out hope until that moment. I could sense an invisible, dark hole of despair opening like a mouth in a yawn, preparing to swallow me in a single gulp. I fought against it. I had to keep myself together, but my head was spinning. _Arisu can't be gone… she just can't be. Aku is lying. He always lies._

"No survivors?" Aiko repeated softly. "Oh, Hikari, I'm so sorry…"

Aku turned to stare at my little sister; that jerked me back to reality and I scowled at him. "Why are you sorry, Aiko?" Hearing her name on his lips was even more disgusting. His tone sounded a little too interested, a little too accusing, for my taste. _Breathe, Hikari. No one in their right mind would ever blame Aiko for this. _My eyes scanned Aku's face again, and my lips twisted further. _Unless he thinks he can use her to get back at me. Well, just let him try. I'll give that bastard the fight of his life. _I wanted to slap that curious and dangerous look off his face. I hated the laws that kept me from doing it.

"Arisu was her best friend," Aiko whispered. She squeezed my hand in an attempt to comfort me, seemingly unobservant of the glances that Aku was giving her and myself. After a while, his eyes settled on me.

"Tell me, Hikari," he began. "Do you know anything about…" His hand shifted to the depths of his green and gold uniform and I watched, but his eyes bored into my forehead. He towered over me by at least a foot, and I found myself thankful that taller people didn't intimidate me. "This?" I swallowed hard: it was a White Lotus Tile. I could see by the way that the paint had grayed that the tile had been out in the elements, most likely rain. My eyes flew up to the sky, where a gentle snow continued to fall. Perhaps frozen rain was a more accurate description.

"No, sir," I said, deciding to play innocent for the moment. "Why? Is it significant?"

He hesitated to answer me, as if unsure that I should have access to further information. "This is the White Lotus Tile. It is the symbol of a national terrorist group, predating the Great War." I knew what the war was: the Hundred Years' War, waged by the Fire Nation on the other three nations of the world. It seemed strange to me, having four nations. We were all just one people nowadays, united in most things. But apparently _not_ so united, if Aku's assumption about the White Lotus Tile were true. And if they _were_ true, why had Arisu handed me that tile? Was she in some kind of terrorist group? …_No, of course not. Aku doesn't know what he's talking about, that's all. He always lies._

"Come on, Aiko. We're going home." She followed right away, without a protest. Her eyes were wide, and I wasn't sure if that was because she was afraid of Aku—as if; he only truly hated me—or if her cold was getting worse. About ten feet away from the ruins, Aiko started shivering uncontrollably. I paused and put my jacket around her. This time, she didn't turn it away, just hugged it closer and shuddered again. "Are you okay, Aiko?"

"It's so white," she murmured in wonder. I looked around, uncertain, and decided that she must have meant the snow. But I wasn't sure; unease pricked at my mind.

When we arrived at home, Dad was there waiting for us. He instantly launched into another speech about how he'd hoped we'd learned our lesson—that portion was _clearly_ directed at me. How Arisu had been involved in a national terrorist group and there was only so long that she could hide.

"Dad!" I snapped as my anger threatened to overwhelm me. "My best friend is _dead_!" I didn't tell him about our spat the day before. Suddenly that seemed insignificant and dumb. I wanted nothing more than to take it back, to see Arisu again and tell her I hadn't meant any of it. But I was too late, and Arisu had died thinking I hated her guts. Another realization struck me, almost powerful enough to make me throw up: I had thrown the Lotus Tile at Arisu's door.

If I had never thrown it, she wouldn't have been found out. She could have kept doing whatever it was that she and Koto did. No one would have known. I tried to convince myself that she couldn't have possibly been in a terrorist group, not my best friend… but then I betrayed my own thoughts and decided that our leader was a terrorist herself, and a dictator; what did it matter if _she_ called someone a terrorist? And I couldn't make myself believe that Arisu would have been part of an actual terrorist group. I just couldn't.

"You don't understand, Kari," Dad said quietly. "I was around before the Chen-Li were instituted. It was a bad time to be alive. If people even thought you were a…" It was like he couldn't bring himself to say the word. "…Bender, then they hunted you down and eliminated you. You didn't have a chance to defend yourself and you didn't have a chance to fight back. What could one person do against so many? You weren't around then, Kari, so you can't appreciate the Chen-Li's impact on our lives.

"What if Aiko was a Bender?" he demanded. Aiko twitched and I stiffened. I wanted to scream at him: _don't say that!_ It was my worst nightmare, a thousand times worse than my recurring dreams. The thought of losing Aiko to Bending was so horrifyingly impossible… How could I even consider surviving without her? Especially with that new law: they'd snatch her right up and I'd never see her again. No, I couldn't think about that because it was far too painful. "If the Chen-Li weren't here to protect us, Kari, we would lose Aiko!"

"If the Chen-Li weren't here to protect us, _Dad_," I spat, "and Aiko was a Bender, they wouldn't be able to take her away! That's the new law. Bender kids get taken away to Omashu."

"It's for rehabilitation," my Dad retorted. We were both notoriously stubborn and I was starting to see that it was pointless to argue. "Anyway, the rules exist for a reason. They're to protect us, and those who can't protect themselves. Even if it doesn't make sense," he conceded, "I have trust in the Empress Koori. So in this house, we will obey the laws to the letter. No matter how much it hurts."

Aiko, who had been frozen during the entire exchange, finally spoke. Her voice was squeaky, but soft and nervous. "Do you… do you really think I'm a Bender?" she asked, and then broke out into a coughing fit. I wrapped her up in a hug, feeling how the coughs shook her ribcage.

"Of course not, Aiko," I crooned. "You're already eight years old. You've only got two years to go."

"Only two years," she mumbled, and I could hear the genuine fear in her voice. It made me angry that I was comforting her instead of our dad, but at the same time, I knew he would not tell her what she needed to hear. "Only two years."

"Once you turn ten, Aiko," I reminded her. "Then there's no more danger of you being a Bender. No one starts Bending after age ten. Remember my party?" I asked. She nodded. My dad was well gone from the room by this time. "Yours is going to be so much bigger because I'm going to help you save up for it. You'll have a huge cake, with real frosting." Her breath caught and I heard it: the sound made me grin. "Plus cookies, and great decorations. And all of your friends will be there."

"And you?" she asked.

"I'll be there," I admitted. "But you won't really want to talk to me."

"I'll always want to talk to you," Aiko insisted quietly. I heard the smile in her voice. She broke out into another round of coughs; I swept her off the ground and carried her into our room. Though I was smiling from our talk, I could feel her sweating, and the heat building inside of her. It looked as though I would be missing my dinner after all.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Well hello folks!** **A little update on my VERY riveting life: finals week is finally over! Now I'm here training for my job for next year, which is pretty fun but also robbing me of precious sleeping time :( I get to go home in two days, and start hunting for a summer job. Oh, the joys of being grown up xP Also... minorly addicted to Legend of Korra now. Naturally I ship Makorra, if you have to ask then you're just having a brain fart right? Right ;)**

**Tainted: I was always told that when in doubt we should blame the cat, but I suppose blaming the penguin works too! HAhaha :)**

**See you all in a week! Hopefully Aiko is feeling a little better by then :'(**

**~Lmyers3**


	13. Interlude 2: The Palace of Koori

[-The Palace of Koori-]

"What was that you just said, Tsuneo?" I asked, masking my rage with a deceptive calm. Beneath my feet, I heard the creeping crunch of ice. My lips curved into a smile at the thought of the suffering this man would endure—after he had served his purpose, of course.

The man in front of me was a pathetic creature, not fit to exist in _my_ Kingdom. Unfortunately, true fortunetellers were becoming excessively rare, and I had to settle for a pallid, greasy-haired thing that inspired the desire to bathe. Intensively. "Shall I repeat the prophecy in its entirety, Majesty?"

I cocked my head to one side playfully, one lock of black hair dangling in front of my face. "Let me tell you a story, Tsuneo." The stupid man nodded his head eagerly. I could almost _taste _his terror. I could see he found it difficult to swallow, as well as distinguish every bead of sweat on his disgusting face. "A wise man goes in to visit the ruler of the Earth." It did not take a genius—which, of course, I was—to see that the simpleton did not understand my tale. "He tells her some extremely important news, something that could affect the longevity of her reign. If she asks him to repeat it, would the wise man leave out important details?"

He waited for me to continue the story; when I did not, his eyes flickered nervously from wall to wall. The iron cavern he found himself in was not comforting, of that I was sure. I drummed my fingers on the side of my chilly steel throne; at least, I had been told that it was chilly. I didn't notice any particular difference between the temperature of my skin and the temperature of my seat. Where my fingers contacted metal, a frosty imprint sprung up. This worried me only slightly, because I had the flask with me in case of emergencies.

"Well? What does the wise man say, Tsuneo?"

Tsuneo ran his tongue apprehensively over his lips before answering. "He repeats everything his ruler needs to know."

"And are you a wise man, Tsuneo?" I asked quietly, my voice colder than any wind that blew across my lands.

"I believe so, Majesty," he responded nervously, his eyes trained on my face. I could see my every beautiful feature reflected in them, but the thought of staring into his eyes appalled me, and so I studied my reflection on the floor of my throne room. I really was beautiful, I decided, for all that I was short. Petite, perhaps, was a better word, with silver gray eyes the color of a blizzard. My hair, darker than the velvety winter nights, rested comfortably at my chest. The two frosted pink lips set in my fair, heart-shaped face curled into a stunning, cruel smile. Even my skin was flawlessly smooth, if a bit pale.

After letting him simmer in his uncomfortable silence for a moment, I flicked my eyes back to his unworthy face. "Then perhaps you should repeat to me what it is I need to know. Unless, of course, you are prepared to deal with the consequences." At the last word of my sentence, his eyes widened a little. An icy path of crystalline spikes shot up from the ground, covering half the distance between the man and I before either of us could blink. "And you should do so quickly, before I lose my temper."

The man was still staring at the frozen trail as though he could not believe his eyes, and it took me a moment to remember why: I had… dispatched my other fortuneteller last week. Well, at least this new one would learn to have a proper respect for me in the earlier stages. "The… the uh… p-p-p-prophecy," he stammered. When he looked at me for approval I narrowed my eyes dangerously, and Tsuneo cast his glance elsewhere. "'There… There will be one… One stronger than you, and all of nature will rejoice. They will reinstate balance in the world, righting that which has been wronged. They will restore the Benders to their rightful glory, and herald the dawn of the age of the Avatar." The man relaxed after he was done reciting it and stared up at me like a pet demanding praise.

"Perhaps you are wiser than I thought," I sighed, forcing my bored tone while studying my nails. A cracking noise filled the air when I exhaled violently; Tsuneo yelped. I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes and saw that my control was slipping, that the frost had crept onto his ankles against my will. That meant it was time for my flask, and my medicine—not that this impudent fool could be allowed to know I depended on herbs for stability. "Get out," I commanded. He gestured to his legs, the plea lurking in his eyes. I waved my hand and the ice melted, but only just, and Tsuneo slipped out the door before any more damage could be done.

While the scorching burn of herbs traveled down my throat and into my system, restoring my grip on reality, I pondered the possible meanings of Tsuneo's phrase. I could only come up with one answer: The Avatar had returned to the world to challenge my claim to power. I smiled—there were no doubts about who would win that fight.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm sorry! I know this is a day late. I blame... summer brain. Yes, I have officially forgotten about the days of the week. -hangs head in shame- But I have been very productive with all of my lazing about (not really)!**

**Tainted: I think they show Korra on if you want to watch the episodes that way! Maybe it depends on your country, though :\ And you like coconut? Hmm, not such a huge fan myself. I like the flavor but the texture doesn't do anything for me... oops...**

**Until next Wednesday (and when I say Wednesday, I actually MEAN Wednesday this time)!**


	14. Chapter Eleven

[-Chapter Eleven-]

I watched Aiko worriedly as she dressed in her ragged clothes. The echoes of her loud coughing still rang in my ears. _She shouldn't be awake right now, _my brain insisted stupidly. My sleep had been disturbed by nightmares for as long as I could remember, but Aiko once slept soundly through anything. Now it seemed she was up every other minute, shaking and coughing. It was beginning to terrify me.

Last night, I could hear her screaming in her dreams. I wasn't sure if the liquid on her face was tears or sweat or some combination of both. Her gaze was distant and far away, as if overnight she'd gone somewhere that I could never follow. _Come back, Aiko. _My silent pleading sounded pathetic, even to my own brain, but I couldn't help it. _Don't you fall apart on me. Because if you go, I…_

I _what?_ I was going to do something about it? Please. I hadn't been able to do anything for… Arisu. Her name still stuck in my throat like a stone. Suddenly all the spit dried up in my mouth. _Well this is different. Aiko is _mine, _and she will be safe._

I guided Aiko from the bedroom and we left for work again. The ruins of Arisu's house were cleaned up. No one had seen her parents since the day of the blaze; it was widely believed they'd died in the fire. And Arisu… but I couldn't think about what had happened to her. It still hurt too much, especially knowing… knowing it was all my fault.

Instead, I focused on the charred marks and gray snow around the site of the old ruins. They seemed odd, I realized. Like the fire had come from the house equally in all directions. The snow was still falling, thick and furious, but I could see where the fire had burned off the snow. Usually a fire burned in one spot more: the spot where it caught fire. Arisu's ruined foundation had burned equally on all sides; no more snow was missing from one spot than another.

Almost as if the fire had been started intentionally.

I remembered what my dad had said to me yesterday. "She had nowhere else to hide." _But the Chen-Li wouldn't do that, would they?_ I thought of Aku, his dark eyes and bias towards me for something that had happened years ago—and it wasn't as if those robes were irreplaceable! _Yes, Aku would burn down a house and anyone inside it._ I could see it in my mind's eye: the Chen-Li surround the house, the home of a "dangerous criminal", encircle it, and set it on fire. I fought a sudden case of the shivers.

"Hikari," Aiko murmured, tugging on my hand. I returned to walking, but her voice was unnaturally weak and I found that fact distracting me. Her steps came slower, less steady than before. She tottered every now and then, like a little old lady with doll's eyes and beautiful hair. My throat tightened. _Maybe I should have kept her at home…_ "It's so white," she gasped. I looked down at her: most of the snow had turned an ugly brown color. It had mingled with dirt and other undesirable substances until nothing on the ground was white and beautiful.

"Aiko, are you okay?"

She looked right up at me and breathed in sharply. For a moment, just a moment, my little sister stared at me in the purest wonder. Then she blinked, shook her head, and kept on tottering as if nothing had happened. I couldn't take much more of this: if Aiko was going to get sick, I just wanted those crazy symptoms over and done with. A fever, I could handle. My sister losing her mind… That was a road I refused to go down.

I went down the road to work instead, passing the village mud pit. A group of children called out to Aiko. She looked up at me wordlessly for permission. I nodded, the usual restrictions implied in the same motion: no leaving the mud pit, don't antagonize the other children, and most importantly, five minutes and five minutes only to play. I crossed the pit to the ground outside of Makoto's house. The door was closed, so I let myself settle on his front steps and relax my feet. I could feel the stares of the townsfolk passing by; some burned with anger, others gentle with curiosity, a few electric with some other emotion.

They seemed to say: _What is that peasant girl doing, sitting on the porch of the richest man in town?_

Had they asked, I would have answered: _Pondering the death of his son's girlfriend, that's what._

Death. It meant complete absolution from anything and everything on the face of the planet. Freedom from whatever burdens Arisu had been bearing before: the strange mission she shared with Makoto, the growing rift in our own friendship… She had left all of those brightly colored problems hanging in the air over my head. There was only one issue: I didn't know how to juggle.

My mind traveled to Koto, the soon-to-be-grieving ex-boyfriend. How would he take something like this? He'd been completely devoted to Arisu; in hindsight that was clearer than anything. I'd rarely ever seen them argue until the very end. The knowledge that they were arguing over me, that she'd died angry with him over _me,_ made me sick. Between throwing the proverbial stone that killed her and causing relationship issues for her… yeah, was I ever on a roll. My mouth was somehow sour and bitter at the same time.

When would Koto even return? He went "camping" to very remote regions: on his first trip I would ask eagerly if any travelers had seen him coming back. Of course, travelers were few and far between, but Koto was easily recognizable. And time and time again, they all said no. Then, one day, he was there and smiling at me again. Where had he come from? Where had he gone to?

I thought back, puzzling and lingering over the memory. There had definitely been some new bruises on his upper arm, and light scratches around as well. But those were typical of camping. Had I not heard his conversation with Risu two days ago, I wouldn't have believed that he did anything other than camp. Yet now, I had to wonder: where did Koto get those bruises? That one question led to others.

Why didn't Arisu go camping? She always seemed sulky and upset when Koto left, at least twice a month. Had that been actual jealousy from Arisu—the one person on the planet who was always gracious and kind_? Well, if she can beat up a man while I'm unconscious in an alley… _There was just so much I didn't understand.

What, exactly, was this crap about the White Lotus Tile and a terrorist group? Empress Koori had long ago burned our books, because she didn't want us dwelling on unhappy memories of the past. Sure—she just didn't want us looking back to the better times, before the monster invasion and the Bending madness. I wished, not for the first time, that we had a library. I would have found something useful there, certainly—unless Koori decided to burn all books with a positive image of "terrorist groups." Or maybe this group was so secretive that we couldn't know much about them anyway.

Why were Koto and Risu members but not me? How had they been chosen for the process? Had someone actually looked at me and said I wasn't good enough? I could have proven myself, and from the looks of things Koto believed in me as well. But Arisu, my best friend, had called me impulsive. Just hearing that description on her lips, or even reliving it, made me want to find her and punch her in the face. How could she talk about me that way?

I guess another fair question would be: how could I feel that way about her? She was dead. I was never going to see her again. And yet I had nothing inside, only the same exact day-to-day concerns that had plagued me before. I should have been ripped apart, curled on the ground and crying and begging for someone to spare me from the horrible pain of losing my best friend in the world. Instead I was sitting on her boyfriend's porch, calmly reviewing every fact about her far-too-short life.

A groan escaped my lips and I let my head fall down into my waiting hands. "What is _wrong _with me?"

"Oh, far too many things to number," Aku's snide voice informed me. I glared up at him but my heart wasn't really in it. "You seem upset today, peasant. Or maybe not—aren't you sad that your friend is dead?"

That did it. "Don't you DARE question me, you little bastard," I snapped. He just raised one eyebrow at me, as if I needed a reminder of my short stature. "You think that just because your stupid and obnoxious Empress…" I paused, remembering my dad's many speeches about choosing my words carefully. They never seemed to sink in when I needed them. _Now I've gone and put my foot in my mouth again!_ My verbal assault grounded to a halt; I returned to glaring.

"Oh please," the Chen Li agent invited pleasantly. "Don't hold back on my account. I'm sure our wise and glorious Empress is very interested in what you have to say." He kept his hands folded politely in front of him, unnatural in his stillness, waiting expectantly. My eyes flickered instinctively to Aiko; I couldn't afford to start a scene with her watching. I knew that, despite her instinct to annoy me, she truly did love me. And she was my baby sister.

I just couldn't risk her seeing me get hurt.

No matter how much I knew it was essential to be polite and—I shuddered—_suck up to Aku_, I could not bring myself to smile at that creature again. "…your Empress is ingenious and worthy of praise," I grumbled sourly.

"And don't you forget it, you worthless peasant," the Chen-Li agent hissed. "You are a _nobody_. Your opinion does not matter, you do not matter, and if you do not watch what you say, you will soon disappear." My teeth seemed to clench of their own will. I could not remember moving but I was suddenly inches away from this man's face, very close to breathing fire through my nose. "Come and get it," he invited. His black eyes glittered menacingly into mine, fierce with pleasure. "The second you lay a finger on me, I will have you thrown in jail, never to be seen again. I will see to it that you rot, you misguided peasant, and that your spirit is shattered."

I gave him a careful once over, checking my temper more than his body structure; I knew I had no chance in combat against a fully trained warrior. I didn't even truly understand the basics of self-defense, though Makoto had taught me many times. I longed for his company now, Koto's gigantic looming presence that gave me confidence and strength. Instead, I settled for a sneering glare. "I'm not going to touch you."

The Chen-Li agent grinned back at me, showing a full set of yellowing teeth. "Smart girl." I nearly gagged on the scent of his breath. "Of course, I still think you would benefit from a sound whipping, so let's see what I can do about that. I believe disrespecting our Empress is worth twenty la—"

A bloodcurdling, ear-piercing scream shattered the shrouded haze of anger and hatred bounding about in my mind. The village mud pit had fallen dead silent, all staring at one central figure.

It was my baby sister, my little Aiko, with her arms raised up on either side of her. Mud was splattered all over her new pants and her hair was a complete mess; the sight made me smile before I truly understood what was going on. Why everyone was staring at Aiko as if she was crazy.

The earth from the mud pit had flown up into the air to join her.

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><p><strong>AN: Is it really Wednesday already? Time really seems to fly in the summer-not sure if I really like that but we'll have to see.** **This chapter was a bit of a doozy! It was originally Eleven and Twelve in the old version of the story, but hey that means more for you to read! Yay! Poor Aiko x(**

**Tainted..."Anyhow, goody, a vain character who's far too confident. This should be very fun..." **That's what I was thinking when I wrote her. Although I would argue that she might have a right to be confident-she really is one of a kind, that Empress Koori! And thanks for the cookies! Delicious as always.

**That's all for now, folks. I'll see you next week!**


	15. Chapter Twelve

[-Chapter Twelve-]

When my eyes landed on the floating pockets of mud, I could literally _feel_ the blood draining out of my face. Pure bewilderment and terror shone in Aiko's eyes. I knew an identical expression radiated from my very being, along with that secondary instinct of protection. It was like a fire. Fire in my veins, heat scorching my bones. _Get to Aiko._

"Kari!" she whimpered, looking pleadingly into my eyes. That one word did it for me: I was at her side in an instant, scooping her up into my arms. "Kari, it's not real, is it? It's not me. I'm… I'm not… not a…"

"Don't even _say_ that," I growled resolutely. "And don't you worry, Aiko. I'm going to keep you safe." She gave a half-choked cry and buried her face into my collarbone while wrapping her arms securely around my neck. I could feel a rush of anxiety sweep through me, supercharging my nerves and making it difficult to breathe. _How could this be possible? How can this be happening to Aiko? What has she ever done to deserve this?_

"Hikari!" A far-away voice was calling to me, strangely familiar, and I attached a name to it: Arisu. _Arisu?_ My head whipped around. I looked for her in the scattered crowd of people but she was nowhere to be found. _She's dead_, I reminded myself. _She's dead and now you're going crazy. You're hearing things_. I focused back in on reality, where I was suddenly not alone.

The Chen-Li seemed to have materialized out of the shadows; one moment it was only Aiko and I, and then the next moment we were surrounded by twenty or so men. They were all dark, and tall, and looming. They were all waiting expectantly, as if knowing something was about to happen. And they were all staring at Aiko alone, impassively and without feeling.

"No," I gasped, tightening my hold on her.

"Alas, yes," Aku sighed. There was barely restrained glee in behind his words—_so he hates me just as much as ever._ "Our wise and powerful Empress _did_ just release the rule about Benders, my little peasant friend. You would be wise to obey it."

"No," I repeated wildly, sizing up every one of the Chen-Li agents. Despair threatened to swallow me. I was badly outnumbered, and I had no idea how to fight. Not really. But I couldn't just give Aiko up. "I won't," I told Aku clearly. I wished more than ever that Arisu was with me. That maybe she could find some help, or that Koto was here with me and he could have done something. Maybe, if I'd had more time, he would have appeared to save the day…

But judging from the expressions on the faces of the men surrounding me, I didn't have much time at all. Maybe, just maybe, I could buy some more.

"You know the punishment for flouting the rules, don't you?" the leader asked, his dark eyes flashing in anticipation.

"I don't care about punishments," I snapped. "You are not going to touch her." With a sadistic grin, Aku stepped towards me. The rest of his men followed suit, though they did not come close enough together to cover all of the gaps between them. A plan sprang into mind: it was wild and crazy, but it was the only plan that I had, and there was a possibility that it could work. I found the road that led to my house, confirming its location and the Chen-Li agent blocking the path. Then, I turned and ran for the opposite direction.

"Get her!" the leader shouted, and suddenly everything was in a blur of motion. The Chen-Li agent directly in front of me charged and I waited until the last possible second before I cut to the left. Another agent popped into my view from nowhere but I cut away again, dodging and bobbing and weaving my way through their various attempts. It took a while for me to feel anything—endless games of tag and keep-away as a child had given my legs some strength. But after dodging a tenth agent—_really, the Chen-Li need to look into some stronger runners_—I felt the familiar burn in my legs. I pushed on, ignoring the pain. There was no time for hesitations or second-guessing.

I focused on the feel of Aiko's arms around my neck, anchoring me to the ground. The way the wind blew at my hair, ripping stray pieces from their braids. The way my breath came in shorter gasps and my feet dug into the ground, the way the mud squished up between my bare toes. The burning desire to return home, where I could hold them off until a better plan came into mind. Maybe I could even run away, take her with me and just _go_ until I came up with a solution for her problem—

I nearly lost myself in my thoughts; as punishment for my actions I felt a sudden weight near Aiko's foot. It was dragging, slowing me down. My sister screamed, high and shrill in my ear, but I didn't wince. I just ran as fast as I could until the hand slipped away and we were free again, running faster than ever before.

My plan was working: they were all so intent on following me, on hunting me down, that they never noticed how I was manipulating them. _Idiots_—but that's what became of people who were too accustomed to being the hunters. They stopped thinking like the hunted.

I waited a split second longer, dodging another sidelong shot, before I found an opening. I pushed my legs harder, ignoring their screams for release, and shot through the gap onto open road. I heard scrabbling and swearing behind me, but soon enough that faded to the sound of wind in my ears. I didn't realize the intense feeling of relief that seeing the familiar run-down homes would bring until we were there, back in our neighborhood. Back at our front door, and across the threshold with the Chen-Li several hundred yards behind us. I slid the deadbolt into place and pressed my lips to Aiko's forehead. "We're okay, Aiko," I panted, but I dared not stop.

I moved through my house in a daze, gliding through the kitchen with a grace that I hadn't known I possessed. I searched the sack that served as a pantry in vain; we were too poor to afford spare food. I walked quickly to our bedroom. I set Aiko down but did not protest when she buried her face blindly into my leg. She stood there, trembling, while I removed several changes of clothes for the both of us. We had no sleeping bags or even bags to carry things, but that was the least of my concerns at the moment.

I swept back into the kitchen, Aiko stumbling along at my side. The empty food sack seemed to leap into my outstretched hand—I didn't remember bending down to pick it up. I regretted the lack of food in our house, but the most important thing was to get ourselves out and away from here. Still working furiously, I shoved our clothes into the rough sack and crouched down to look at my sister. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

"What's going on, Kari?" Aiko asked softly.

"Aiko, I—"

"Yes. What _is _going on, Kari?" a new voice interrupted. I looked up in despair to see my father standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, suspicion plastered all over his face.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello everyone! Once again, one day late... sorry about that x( Uhm, so yeah! New chapter, yay!**

**Tainted-** Your enthusiasm in your reviews always makes me smile x) I hope you enjoyed your anime!

**I shall see the rest of you guys next week! Don't forget that you can always write a short little review if you want to; if you have any questions I'll try to answer them! Reviews make me happy ^_^**


	16. Chapter Thirteen

[-Chapter Thirteen-]

I loved my father very much: that was a proven fact. But in that moment, I didn't want him within one hundred feet of Aiko. Not with that new law he was supposed to follow. How could he possibly take Aiko away from me in the name of _following the rules_? With just one look at his face, I knew. _He has this faith that everything will work out okay… He thinks Koori is really in charge of her Chen-Li, but that isn't true. Aku will torture Aiko. He'll make her life a living hell. _My arms tightened around her involuntarily, as if I could somehow meld her into my skin and keep her safer that way.

"Nothing much, dad," I answered as lightheartedly as possible. I was curious to register that the Chen-Li hadn't tried breaking down our door yet. My thoughts kept racing in a zillion different directions, trying to guess their next move, but I had to deal with the situation at hand.

"You're packing clothes in our food sack," he retorted dryly. "Aiko looks scared out of her wits. And you… you look positively furious." My heart spluttered and then came to a screeching halt for a few precious seconds. My father stared at me, waiting.

"Dad…" I fumbled, trying to find the right words. "Dad, Aiko and I are leaving." His frame straightened into an intimidating barrier at my words. Bright blue eyes hardened into chips of ice, and a great deal of muscle bulging occurred in the region of his neck.

"What?" he repeated, almost dumbly, but I could hear the anger and disbelief in the word. I tried to stare at his black hair, focus on the way it shifted and bobbed with his movements, and failed. My eyes traveled invariably to his smoldering gaze. "Why?"

"Because," I whispered, knowing that telling him a lie was pointless. He just knew me too well, and I didn't resent it any more than in that moment. "Aiko is an Earthbender." My voice cracked on the word. I winced.

The shockwave that traveled up my father's body in that moment was visible and stunning. His face transformed from guarded to an emotion that I couldn't define. "My daughter, an Earthbender?" He looked down at Aiko. "Is this true?" She nodded, and the indefinable emotion faded to horror. "My daughter… an Earthbender…" He passed his hand over his eyes; his shoulders began shaking. Suddenly there were sobs, little cries that sounded too dry to be wet with tears but the tears were there, pouring down his face. I had never seen my father cry before. _Has he gone crazy or something?_

"Dad," I said softly, wishing that I knew how to reassure him, but there were no words. _How can there possibly be words? Our family life will crumble away into dust. Unless we find a solution in two years, Aiko will be lost to us._ _But I won't let that happen._ _I will save my baby sister before she ever reaches the age of ten._ Ten—the word was suddenly a looming storm cloud instead of a bright ray of sunshine.

That was when the knock came at the door.

The echoing rap froze my heart in its tracks before it dutifully continued beating. The knock was official, and crisp, and heavy. So this was their plan of attack: talk to my father, one of the most law-abiding citizens ever devised by creation, and then use the rules to tear her away? _I won't let it happen. Never in a million years._

_Now, Hikari_, a voice whispered softly. _Maybe you're judging him before he can really do anything. Give him a chance. _I watched him with tense muscles. He was still bent over, shaking; after another knock, he froze. Time seemed to melt away. Aku was still knocking and my father hadn't moved. I stomped all over the feeling of hope that rose in my chest. _No. Don't get your hopes up_. But I approached him anyway, hand extended like he was a wild animal. Would he strike me? Would he collapse? I couldn't be sure.

"Dad?" There it was again, that broken whispery sound that I hated. It shouldn't come out of my mouth, not ever. "Dad, I know you think that we have to follow the rules all the time, but you don't have to—" My hand hit his shoulder at the same time as the next knock came. His head snapped up and my hand jerked back. Slowly, slowly, my father let his arms fall to his side and he started walking towards the door. "Dad!" I hissed. "Dad, you don't have to do this. We don't have to give Aiko to them. I can take her, I can take her out of here and we can run. We can run somewhere far away." With a start, I realized that I was _crying_. "Dad, please don't. _Please,_ Daddy. Don't take her away from me. Don't give her to them, _anyone_ but them, _please _daddy don't…"

My dad kept moving forward to answer the door so I sprinted ahead of him, crossing our "living room" in three strides and standing resolutely in front of the ill-fitted obstruction.

"Hikari, get out of the way," my father mumbled. I knew he couldn't have been thinking clearly; he had witnessed firsthand the horrors of Bending and scared me with the tales when I was younger. He knew what would become of Aiko. I simply stared at him and remained where I was. "Move," he repeated. I shook my head, and when I met his blue eyes, words failed me. "Hikari, don't be ridiculous. Get out of the way."

"Open up!" the Chen-Li's leader commanded, his voice muffled from behind the door. My father shot me a surprised look and then set his face in determination.

"_Move_, Hikari," he hissed, his voice businesslike. "The law has come knocking at our… door."

I stared at him evenly. "If you are going to be giving Aiko over to the Chen-Li, I will never speak to you again." His eyes snapped to my face. "I'd sooner run away than share a roof with someone who would betray their own family for the sake of a stupid _law_—"

"Hikari! Be silent! I need you to _trust_ me."

"You haven't earned it. But you can earn it now. Tell me you're not going to do _anything_ to hurt Aiko."

"I am your _father_—"

"Junichi! This is Aku! Open the door!"

"—I do not need to justify myself to my own daughter—"

"I am trying to keep Aiko _safe._"

"—who apparently does not understand that she needs to _whisper_, or people will _hear her_." He glared at me, and for the first time in my life I felt afraid of him. "Now I need to open the door, or we won't even have a roof to share." Junichi lowered his voice and leaned in closer. "I can only buy you so much time. Aku knows you've been here. Try to get to the woods. You might have a clear shot if they haven't surrounded the house by now." I felt like someone had electrocuted me; it was all so surreal. How could this be happening? _My father… my father is the most law-abiding citizen I've ever known. This isn't reality. This can't be real_.

But it was just as real as the weight of his hand on my hair. "I wish I could go with you, Hikari. I wish that I had been able to show you how much I love you, better than I've been doing. This may be my last chance. You… you take care of my little girl."

"Dad, I…"

"Junichi!"

A well placed shove from my father sent me on my way to the back of our house. I found Aiko right where I had left her in the kitchen. Our bag was still by her side. I slung it over my shoulder and grabbed her hand. She whimpered.

"I'm not sure if you're aware, Junichi, but a new law was passed recently…" My heart stuttered to a halt._ He couldn't have opened the door already! _I looked over at the back exit of our house—we would have to cross directly behind my father to get there. A scream boiled up behind my lips; I restrained it. _Think, Hikari. We can't leave. That means we have to hide._ My feet began moving of their own accord, away from the Chen-Li and my father.

Perhaps it was the look in my eyes, but my baby sister made not a squeak in protest as we moved from the kitchen down the hallway and into our bedroom. I yanked the curtain aside that concealed our closet and bundled Aiko inside. Then, carefully, I crawled in after her. I could only hope that my father would be able to hide us, that the Chen-Li would just give up. Seconds seemed to become hours, and I thought my muscles would cramp up from pure nerves. _That's no good. I can't do anything to protect her if my muscles—_

"…are long gone from here." I stiffened at the sound of my father's voice. _Too close!_ Aku must have started searching the house. I cursed at myself. _Of course Dad wouldn't have tried to stop him from searching; he thinks we snuck out! I took too long._ "She was never one to do as she was told."

"Yes, well Junichi, I also know that your eldest can be very crafty when she wants to." Aku's voice was sour, but there was a certain joy behind it. It made me want to punch him. Repeatedly. "Check that room!"

"But that's their sleeping area, Aku; surely you don't think she would be silly enough to hide in th—"

There was the sound of a curtain being ripped down, and I became distinctly aware of several sensations at once. My father's face, going slack with shock and then terror. The curve of Aku's smile as he realized what he'd found. Breeze, air pushed aside by the Chen-Li as the agents swept in. A forceful tug as Aiko's hand was ripped from mine, and bundled up into the arms of the Chen-Li agents. I jumped up with a cry but they were already retreating; they'd claimed their prize and all that I was good for was a space filler.

"Kari!" Aiko screamed, reaching out over the Chen-Li agent's back as if I could save her. I was dimly aware that my father was moving beside me, coming towards me with a shout, but I breezed past him and through the halls of my house, searching for that tiny voice so I could save her. I finally found her in the arms of that beast; they were standing outside of my house, where Aiko and I used to play together in the mud. "Kari!" she screamed again, this time the Chen-Li agents turned to face me.

"Isn't she just the cutest thing?" Aku sneered. My hands turned to fists at my side and started shaking. "Now be a good citizen and walk back inside."

"No," I snapped, and lunged for the one holding Aiko. I knew it was pointless, knew I'd never be able to overpower him, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't let them just take her away from me… not while there was still breath in my body. And I was so focused on my sister's face that I ignored everything else, including the motions of the Chen-Li leader.

I vaguely saw the flash of silver before I felt cold steel running from my right cheekbone to my right jawbone. It burned and I staggered back, putting one hand to my face in astonishment. The wound from the knife started to sting. My fingers grew sticky. I saw the blade flash again before it disappeared into the folds of Aku's robe. "Get her out of here," he commanded. The Chen-Li bearing Aiko turned and walked away. I started after her again with a desperate cry, but the other Chen-Li held me back and laughed jeeringly. "Don't waste your energy worrying about her," Aku sneered. "You have a punishment to face."

But I knew nothing could possibly be worse than watching that Chen-Li agent walk away with Aiko slung across his back. No punishment could ever hurt me more than that sight. My heart was clawing its way out of my chest, ripping me apart, crying in pain, suffocating, burning, unimaginable pain that would never go away. The tears sprang to my eyes like water pumped from a well, and I sagged against the arms of my captors. They dragged me away from my home easily enough, marching me through the streets in my failure.

I had nothing left to fight for.

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><p><strong>AN: Hi guys! So, happy Wednesday! Isn't it great! Back with more stories, woo! Other exciting news from my life? I'll be conducting my first ever "road trip" tomorrow morning. Going to visit my friend in another state! I know, kinda lame right? What 19 year old hasn't been to visit someone in another state? Or at least DRIVEN in another state? But yeah, that would be meeee. I'm stoked for the vacation from my house. It's getting a little boring in here!** **I'm also trying to become **trilingual!** Yup, taking French Lessons thanks to some awesome software. Guess what I can say now? J'ai un livre rouge. Totally doesn't apply to anything here, but the caffeine from my green tea is urging me to share this with you.**

**As far as HBAM goes, I hope you guys notice that this chapter is a little longer than usual. I feel like the typical chapter length was good for the old website I used to post on, but it's not so good for here. So, I've been combining chapters and rewriting things to try and find a good fit. What do you guys think? Is this too long? Too short? Just right? Please comment and let me know!**

**Until next week! Sorry about the long AN, I love you all!**


	17. Chapter Fourteen

[-Chapter Fourteen-]

"You've held up rather well, Hikari."

Aku's voice was quiet. It seemed to echo from all around me, but I stared out of the bars of my jail cell until I could just see him with my one good eye. He was leaning against a wall, probably. I could make out flashes of his eyes that were well above the ground. A bit of moonlight painted the edges of his silhouette silver. _Thump. _Aku didn't move, but there was a strange sound coming from his general direction. Sort of a muffled sound, like he was tossing something up and down in the palm of his hand. It was too dark for me to see it well.

"How are your rations? Up to your expectations?"

In a corner, untouched, was a beautiful loaf of bread and some of the clearest water I had ever seen in my life. Ever since the Chen-Li took Aiko, I had been living in a daze. If my father came to visit me, if my mother fell at my jail cell, weeping, I had no idea. I stared at walls, counting patterns in the stone bricks. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 makes a shape. Twelve through Fifteen makes a line. Squeaking door marks another jailer, taking away my untouched food and water from the night before. There were no vivid hallucinations, no images of Aiko crying at me in the corners. Just me, my thoughts, and patterns in the brick.

At night, they said I screamed. I screamed and I thrashed, but no one dared come in and touch me, or try to wake me. Afraid to aggravate the bandages, they said. As if the bandages covering half of my face were the real problem. I heard their whispers, knew what they were saying about me. Hikari: the girl possessed by dark spirits. Well, good. Maybe the dark spirits would be able to help me. I had never before realized how exhausting emptiness could be. All day I sat still. I counted, I crouched, I shuffled to a corner, and I ignored the world around me. I shut off my emotions. Yet every day I woke up feeling more exhausted than the day before.

That was my new reality. No anger, no passion. Nothing but apathy and exhaustion.

_Thump_. Oh, yes. Aku.

"I suppose we should order the bread with a few more maggots and the water with a little more dirt. A little closer to what you're used to, perhaps?"

I stared. A strange buzzing filled my head. It vaguely hurt, but I resisted the urge to press my hands to my temples. Even pain was better than nothing at this point.

"You used to be so _cocky._" He waited a moment, as if expecting a sharp retort. "You were going to defy the odds; you were going to _put me in my place_. Well now I've put you in yours, you little bitch." Another pause. Then his tone grew more feverish. "Your sister is gone, your mother is crazy, and your father is a miserable man."

The louder his voice rose, the more the buzzing in my head increased. Soon it spread to my chest and my limbs; the strange buzzing became a thrumming in my veins that I had known but could not name.

"And what of our beautiful Miss Hikari?" Aku's voice was back to normal, almost. I could hear the storm that was waiting to erupt. He took one step towards me, and then another, into the moonbeams before my cell. It threw his features into a strange angular light. Dark shadows, strong eyebrows, and cheekbones that bent in unnatural ways. They said I was the girl possessed by dark spirits, but clearly no one had looked closely at Aku.

Something in his eyes called me to him and my body responded, uncurling from the corner. My limbs moved of their own accord, settling into a standing position. I was toe-to-toe with the head of the Chen-Li. I should have been feeling a million different things in that moment, but all I had was exhaustion and a strange humming sensation in my muscles.

He moved before I would have thought to react. Aku reached through the bars. With a single harsh movement, his hand snatched at the bandages surrounding my face and ripped. Pain tore through me like a bolt of lightning; I felt like my head might split in two. The bandage slipped between his fingers to the ground between us, taking pieces of my newly formed skin with it. Aku was staring at me with a wild gleam in his eye. I tried to remember: had I hissed? Cried out in pain? My body had jerked; I could still feel the rough muscle memory.

"She is broken. Scarred. _Nothing._" The pulsing in my veins grew stronger. I struggled to remember what it was called. "And it seems that you have lost your voice, my dear."

Within the blink of an eye, Aku's hand was wrapped around my throat. He used his one arm to lift me off the ground. I reflexively grabbed at him to try and pull him off of me. My resistance brought a smile to his face even as the air in my body slipped away.

"Or perhaps not." He released his grip and I collapsed to the floor, gasping. I knew his fingers would be imprinted on my throat within a few hours. My body could not seem to get enough air: it coughed, it choked, it wheezed. That silent power urged me to my feet again, but I refused. It did not matter what Aku did to me. Nothing mattered. Nothing.

"Make no mistake, little sparrowkeet." Satisfaction rang out strong in his voice. "You may think you have lost your voice. But in seven days' time, when your sentence is commuted… I will teach you how to sing a beautiful new song." He turned and walked away, leaving me on the floor. The thrumming left my muscles. A bitter taste remained in my mouth.

At long last, I recognized the thrumming. It was something that only Aku could draw out of me. It was rage.

* * *

><p>"Hikari?"<p>

This voice was familiar. _Father._ My body did not react. There was no surge of joy, no desire for contact. Just the emptiness I had come to accept in my life.

Two sets of shuffling footsteps. _Well, he's brought mother_.

My parents settled to their knees in the dust before my prison cell. I looked at them, not really curious. Dad seemed to be okay: there were new hard lines around his face and his eyes were darker than before. No more blue sparkle. Just those hard blue ice chips that looked out with determination and hatred. I wondered, briefly, what he saw in my eyes. Were my golden eyes hardened into chips of amber? Hazy like the harvest moon behind the clouds?

The steady drip, drip, of water clued me in to the weather outside. Both of my parents were soaking wet—that marked the fifth straight day of rain. Before, I would have wanted to know whether it was a monsoon or simply a steady rain. Now I settled. Rain. The storms were getting worse.

The sun almost never shined for more than three days at a time. It was always one severe storm after another. No one could explain why the elements were so turned against us. It was not my place to wonder about such things, anyway.

I looked at my mother. Aiko's face stared back at me, aged just a little. Still those perfectly round doll's eyes, the soft skin, the long eyelashes, the dark hair. Even as I looked at her, her eyes looked right through me. Aku had mentioned that my mother went crazy. I saw the evidence for myself. She said nothing, acknowledged nothing. Mom could have been sitting in a sunny corner of our kitchen for all the awareness she was showing. It should have hurt me to see my mother like that. She had always been a wonderful woman, taking care of Aiko and myself until I was old enough to work a job. But my heart was empty, so I felt nothing.

"Hikari, we have come to talk to you about something."

I just stared at my dad. _We?_ My mother did not count as a person anymore. She would not be discussing anything. And what could they want to tell me that I did not already know?

"Arisu has officially been declared deceased."

Arisu. Deceased. _Those words should mean something._ Then it clicked in my mind: Arisu was dead. _Oh._ But I already knew that. Just because the Chen-Li decided to make it official did not mean anything to me. Arisu had been gone for a long time. I couldn't think about her; I already had too much on my plate.

My lack of reaction worried my father into speaking further. "Makoto has not been back to town yet, honey."

_Makoto._ The word sent the dull remnants of passion through my system. It was not even enough to make my heart race.

"We didn't want you thinking that your friend had left you." I couldn't deal with this discussion anymore. I rocked backwards, away from my parents, and then walked to the side of my cell where I felt closest to the sun. In my weeks of imprisonment, three things had been constant. First, apathy and exhaustion. Second, temporary rage when Aku was around. Third, the pull of the sun. Even on rainy days I could feel it, calling to me with its energy.

There were many things that I did not care about.

I did not care about myself.

I did not care about jail.

I did not care about Empress Koori, or about my looming punishment.

But my punishment meant that I would be set free afterwards, with any luck. Free to be outside, and feel the sun on my skin again. In a world without Aiko, nothing else seemed to matter.

My parents left after a few moments of my silent distance. I should have felt bad. They had already lost one daughter, and my behavior was robbing them of a second. My father would soon be all alone to care for my mother. I was a selfish and terrible person. But I would be able to feel the sun. And that was all that mattered anymore.

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><p><strong>AN: Hi guys! I'm sorry for posting this on a Thursday, but I tried to upload it on Wednesday morning and the site was not giving me any love. Boo!**

**Tainted- Japanese? That sounds really cool. Even though you only know a little. I *love* world languages; they're so interesting! And this new layout is awesome, I agree! I'm really excited for the image feature (whenever that will be in full effect)**

**Dave and Bob- Well hi there! Thanks for reviewing ^_^ And for your wonderful words about this story, they really mean a lot to me! I hope that I will be seeing you again, whenever you next have a spare moment.**

**Remember, any questions that you have, I will do my best to answer unless they contain spoilers! Next week, everyone!**


	18. Chapter Fifteen

[-Chapter Fifteen-]

When I slept that night, I dreamed.

* * *

><p>The pretty boy across from me glowered and crossed his arms over his chest. He had black hair that was just starting to grow out all over the place. I wanted to touch it for some reason; I interlaced my fingers in my lap instead. A minute passed. Two minutes. I couldn't stand the silence anymore.<p>

"You can't stay mad at me forever!"

"Yes I can!"

"But I—"

"Shut up!"

I looked away, my eyes stinging. I would not cry in front of him. He was just a stupid _boy_, after all. He had cooties for sure.

I studied the walls of my playroom, careful not to look at him once. It was a pretty room, painted bright blue and covered in snowflakes. Every one was different, my daddy said. To keep my eyes away from that _boy_, I tried to prove Daddy wrong. Maybe if I found a matching pair of snowflakes I could complain about it and get him to paint something else on my walls.

He still wasn't speaking to me. My stomach twisted. _Oh, no… No, I will _not_ cry. I won't! _I glared at him out of he corner of my eye.

He glared back, just as stubborn as ever. I screamed and threw my hands up. "I _order you_ to tell me why you're being so _stupid_!"

"No! You can't boss me around just because you're the Princess!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"_Can too!_"

We were nose-to-nose now. Thundering feet raced up to the door of the playroom but I didn't care. _He is not getting the better of me!_

"Your Highness! Ronin! Stop this at once!"

Years of listening to my nurse overrode my anger. My back snapped up straight and I turned to face the aging woman, still sneaking glances at Ronin out of the corner of my eye.

"You're going to wake the entire _palace_ with your bickering! And a Princess never bickers, my dear."

My lip trembled. I could feel it coming, suddenly. There was no way of holding it back, so I let it all out: I flopped down on the floor and broke down crying. Ronin stiffened beside me. In my mind I could see the appalled look on his face and that only made me cry harder. I wailed in the way that only an eight year old could. Nurse Joo-Dee raced to my side. She did not hug me, or try to calm me down. Instead, she waited until my tears were gone.

"Now, your highness, what are you crying about?"

"R-R-Ronin is mad at m-me because I told him that I was be… be…"

"Betrothed?"

The word brought fresh tears and wails out of my mouth.

"Your Highness!" Joo-Dee's voice was harsh, and dark. I looked up into her face and saw no love there. My screams died in my throat. "A Princess does not cry."

"B-b-but Ronin—"

"Be silent!" It was like she'd reached into my eyes and shut the water off. I couldn't have cried even if I wanted to. "And as for you, little boy." Ronin looked like he wanted nothing more than to jump in my closet and hide. His eyes were all wide and his shoulders were up so high it was like they swallowed his neck. "Betrothal is a part of life for royalty. If you cannot accept that, then that is your problem. Do not take it out on your superiors, especially not on your future ruler. If you make her cry again, I will have you sent back to the kitchens where you belong!"

"_No!_"

The crack rang out before I saw Joo-Dee's hand move. Ronin's head jerked around. When it moved back, there was a new bright red handprint on his face. I wanted to jump onto Joo-Dee and rip her hair out, but I knew what she would say. _Princesses do not rip hair out._

"You do _not_ command me, kitchen boy. I am the handmaid to the Princess. And you are just lucky that this little girl took a liking to you, or you would be leading a life that not even a koala bear-dog would envy."

I could hear Ronin breathing from here. I had to get my nurse out of the room so that I could try and help him. His face was already turning purple from the rings on Joo-Dee's fingers.

"Joo-Dee." I shifted my shoulders up and back; my voice was calm. I clasped my hands neatly in front of my waist.

She smiled. I knew I was on the right track: Joo-Dee never smiled at me. "Yes, Your Highness?" Her body sank to the floor in a beautiful bow.

"Get out." The words were too harsh, I knew right away. The smile slipped off her face and she opened her mouth to retaliate. "Immediately! Leave this room. Your assistance is no longer required."

"Your Highness, I—"

I drew myself up and threw out one of the phrases she had taught me in my lessons. "Do not disobey your superiors, Joo-Dee. _Leave_."

She let her face twist into something sour and then obeyed me, bowing out of the room with perfect posture. Something sharpened in my gut: I hated her.

Once my nurse was out of sight I rushed to Ronin's side. He scowled at me in a warning that I ignored. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Ronin." My voice was quiet and pleading, like a true lady's. "Ronin, please don't be mad at me. I can't help it if I'm betrothed—you heard Joo-Dee. I have to do it."

"Well that means you're going to leave me. You're my best friend, Koori. I don't want to go somewhere where you won't be."

I smiled at him. "That will never happen. No matter what happens, Ronin, we will always be the best of friends."

* * *

><p>"Ronin! Ronin! RONIN!"<p>

I tore through the halls at a full sprint, most unbecoming of a lady. At that point, though, being a lady was the farthest thing from my mind. Air wouldn't enter my lungs and my head was spinning and if my heart beat any faster it would probably jump out of my chest.

"RONIN! RONIN! RONIN!"

Various nobles in the palace stirred at my shrieks. Some (from the sound of it, behind their closed doors) fell out of their beds. Others were reaching for swords and clubs, but I left them all behind me as I ran out to the stables. My nightgown was billowing around my ankles, glowing white in the moonlight. A strange power surged through me, alien and terrifying.

"RONIN! RONIN! RO—"

Rough hands seized me from behind, clapping over my mouth to cut off my last scream. I bit down hard, panicking. My assailant released me, then grabbed my wrist and spun me around. Suddenly I was up against the wall of the stables, my arm pinned behind me. My face scraped against the rough wood of the building as I gasped for air. "Let me GO!"

"You have to stop waking up the entire palace every time you need to see me," Ronin's voice hissed. In response my muscles relaxed a little bit, but the terror from earlier was still there. "You're going to get me in trouble."

"Why?" I spat. "Is Joo-Dee going to send you back to the kitchens? She has no power anymore, Ronin. And I need you. Please." My best friend released me and I whirled to face him. Something in my expression must have worried him, because he reached a tentative hand to my windblown hair to smooth it down. I froze. That same hand moved down the right side of my face; he was so warm in the chill night air. Just for a moment, I felt a strange quickening in my stomach. Then fear trampled it and I grabbed his hand to squeeze it tight.

"What's going on, Koori?"

A nearby rustling sound sent chills up my spine. "Not here, Ronin. Please."

He studied me and then gave a curt nod. "Come on, we can go in the stables. Noku isn't here tonight." Noku was our stable boy who resembled a horse himself; nosy as the day was long. I let Ronin lead me into the quiet shadows of his makeshift home. The soft noises of ostrich-horses surrounded me. They smelled warm, and comforting. I could almost feel myself relaxing. Almost.

When we reached the last stall, standing in the moonlight from the window, Ronin turned to face me. "Now tell me, Koori, what's going on? I haven't heard you scream like that since your mother—"

"Stop."

He paused. "I'm sorry, it was just an observation."

I paused. "Well… anyway… I was in my room just now. I was thinking about my betrothal to Lord Jerkface—" Ronin flashed half a smile; that was our nickname for my future husband, Lord Hakoda. He had been named for some famous tribal chieftain from the old days, but he had the honor of a rooster-pig. I loathed him. "—and I just got so _angry_, Ronin. I was barely thinking straight and then all of a sudden… this."

I took a quick breath. The moonbeams quickened in my blood and my anger rose up to meet it. I curled my fingers while jerking my hands. There was a splash, and a gasp, and then the ostrich-horses screamed in fear.

Every drop of water in the room hovered over my head. It loomed large, like a mini ocean. I had drained out the water troughs and the moisture in the air. Now the air was so dry that Ronin's hair stood on end. More than just the physical water, I could feel other sources. Water in the animals, just beneath the surface of their skin. Water inside of Ronin, both stationary and moving. _Moving?_ I probed a bit further and recognized this strange water for what it was. _Blood._ _I can feel Ronin's blood._

Disgusted, I directed the water back to where it came from. My best friend stared at me, unmoving. For once, I couldn't read his face.

"Ronin, please… I… this isn't something I can control. But I'm still _me_, Ronin. And that means we're still… we're still _us_, right?"

The silence stretched on forever. I fought the urge to scream and cry. _More water to bend_, my mind thought bitterly. _Ronin must hate me._ I hated myself.

"I don't understand," Ronin said finally. His jaw was as tight as his words. "You're thirteen. This shouldn't be happening."

"I don't understand either." The tears welled up, unbidden.

"Well do you know what's going to happen?"

"No. No Bender is supposed to be sane after the age of ten."

"But you couldn't even bend until just now. And you're thirteen."

"So then… do you think I could be different?"

He looked away, which said more than I could bear to hear. "I don't see how."

At his words, my resolve broke. Tears spilled out everywhere. "Then you might as well go."

"I might as well."

I waited expectantly for him to move. But he stood there, staring at me. "Well if you're going to leave me then just _do it!_ _Go!_"

He sighed. "This is where I _sleep_, Koori. You're the one who has to leave."

"Oh."

We waited another few minutes; I couldn't force my feet to take a single step towards the door. He gave me a pointed look. I cast my eyes to my feet. "I don't want to go."

Ronin nodded with his arms crossed over his chest. His jaw looked tense enough to snap. "Ronin, please… I don't want to go."

"Then stay. What do I care?"

His words sent me reeling. "What do you _care_?"

"Koori, I've been saying goodbye to you for over five years. Ever since I first found out that you would have to marry someone else and leave. Every day has been a goodbye."

"But…" If my mouth gaped open any wider, an ostrich-horse would ride in. That, or I would drown in my own tears. "I promised that we would be best friends. Best friends forever."

"That's something only an eight year old girl would be innocent enough to promise and a ten year old boy would be desperate enough to believe." He might as well have kicked me and spat on me earlier; that would have been less painful than what I was hearing. "Maybe now you don't have to marry Lord Hakoda. After all, who wants to marry a crazy Bender instead of a Princess? That just means I will get to sit here and watch you lose your mind. Eventually I won't be allowed to see you anymore, and by that point I don't know what purpose my life is going to have—"

"_You_," I cut in furiously, "are a twisted and warped little fool. You're so bitter about what life has thrown at you that you can't even see what's happening!"

"I do see it!" he shouted back. "I see that I'm still losing you and this time there's nothing I can do to stop it! So why should I even bother trying?"

"I used to look up to you." At my words Ronin visibly cringed. "I used to think you were this brave guy who was going to be by my side through everything until the bitter end. But now I see what you are."

"What is it you see?"

"A _coward_."

I whirled on my heel and marched out of the stables. Every instinct in me demanded that I look back to gauge Ronin's reaction, but my royal training overrode those instincts. _A lady does not look behind her after exiting a room. She watches no one—the room watches her_.

Ronin thought he was so clever! He thought he knew exactly what was going to happen, so he could just react without seeing everything through first. _Well then I will show him. They say it's impossible, but I will do it. I will show everyone that I can remain calm and in control. I will not bow, or fade away into the Spirit World. I will rule. It is my birthright. It is my destiny._

My mind started turning. I could not tell anyone that I was a Bender until I had found a potential cure. The Palace Library would, with any luck, be sufficient for my research. If I asked for herbs from the kitchens, the girls would be too ignorant of any spiritual properties to be suspicious. _Maybe, with the right combination, I can do this._

* * *

><p>The day of my punishment dawned bright and hot, but the blood in my veins ran cold until I shivered.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi guys! It's been far too long since I updated, I know... but I actually wrote this chapter from scratch. It wasn't in the original story (a little treat for you guys!). I've been trying to make the chapters a little longer, since they were written for another site where the character limit was a lot shorter. Anyways, I was going through a little writer's block with this chapter. However, it's much longer than my usual chapters (2500 words compared with 800 or so), and hopefully you can appreciate that! Also, you guys get an early in the week update to make up for my lackluster performance thus far, lol.**

**Tainted- Thanks for your review, even if it's late. Because as you can see, I missed about three updates since the last chapter so you are completely fine ^_^ I hope you enjoy the new chapter, and feel free to let me know if you want more chapter length than this! I will probably have to restructure the story at some point anyways. Enjoy your winter! hehehe**

**See you guys next week (for real this time)!**


	19. Interlude 3: The Palace of Koori

[From The Palace of Koori]

I flexed my hand, watching with a bored expression as the icy spikes in front of me grew and contracted with my motions. Maybe some people would fear this—the raw power. The tingling in their fingers as the elements bent to their whims would send shivers down their spines. But not me. I was not afraid of power—I embraced it. I embraced it as readily as I resisted weakness. Ironic, then, that my greatest strength was also a great weakness.

Everyone knows that Benders cannot retain their sanity once they cross the threshold of ten. They begin having strange visions and their eyes lose all color. I read once, in a history book, that Benders used to be celebrated. Adored. Admired. A small part of me wished that I was alive during that time, where I could have flourished under the tutelage of a Bending Master. I could have learned the deepest secrets of my element and done something amazing.

I was so lost in my own musings that it took me a moment to realize how ridiculous that was. A soft, sharp laugh left my lips. _I am the ruler of the entire planet, the most powerful being in existence. I am the only Bender who has any semblance of self-control. Why would I ever want to be just a part of something? No, _this_ is what I was meant for._

My delicate fingers wandered briefly to my flask. It was always at my side, attached with a leather belt that only I was allowed to touch. I knew the servants whispered about such fanaticism behind my back; they did not understand. The herbal potion it contained was, quite literally, my lifeline to the Physical World. I had discovered just the right mixture to stave off the Spirit-Visions some years ago, when I was only thirteen and terrified. Perhaps more empathetic rulers would have shared their secret cure for Benders with their citizens by now. Then again, empathetic rulers never held power for long.

I eyed the door for a moment or two. My mind made up, I snapped my fingers. The ice I was playing with cracked; a small maid off in the shadows jumped a little.

"Come here!" I commanded. With a squeak, she raced to prostrate herself at my feet. "Bring me the Book." The girl did not need to ask for clarification about which book I wanted. I had burned all the other books a long time ago. She ran off, her bare feet slapping against my metal floors.

The Book contained the history of my Kingdom since the days of my many times-great-grandfather, Yuudai. He was a mighty warrior who had helped save the Physical World from the Spirit Monsters. The people rewarded him by crowning Yuudai and his descendants as Kings and Queens for the rest of time. Even until now, Yuudai was the only one who had entered the Spirit World and lived. His name lived on in the mouths of my people. Every child grew up learning the tales of the great Yuudai; children staged the battles between him and the Spirit Koh. As long as a descendant of his remained in power in the Physical World, the Spirits were too bitter and scared to try to raise a new assault against us.

_Speaking of scared_… The young girl had returned. She bowed, deposited the book into my lap, and retreated into the shadows once more. I ran my fingers over the soft leather cover with its gold accents. As if by memory, the book fell open to a page in the middle of Chapter Seven. I hadn't read through that Chapter in years, not since my fourteenth birthday…

* * *

><p>"Ronin, would you tell me what you're doing?"<p>

"Relax, Koori. Why won't you trust me for a change?"

"You've got me blindfolded and I can't see where I'm walking. Why wouldn't I trust you?"

"Sarcasm not appreciated, your Highness."

I laughed, a light one like the tinkling of bells. It was a different sound than my normal laugh, something Ronin had been quick to point out to me. He was noticing a lot of "differences" these days. I was thinner. I was paler. My hands were freezing cold, even during the summer months. My eyes looked more washed-out, and my hair was getting darker. He even went so far as to say that I smiled less. Whenever he brought up those concerns I would laugh them off, but inside I was panicking. As soon as he left me I would race to my room and take double the amount of my herbal remedy. He knew I had found something to help me handle my Spirit Visions; nevertheless we were both worried that it wasn't working.

Shuffling sounds echoed all around me. Then there was a thud like something landing on a table, and I was so ready to take my blindfold off that my hands actually twitched. I tried to take a deep breath—_Ladies do not twitch, for they are never impatient._

Gentle hands guided me to a chair with a soft, upholstered back. Only one room in the palace had such chairs: the library. I felt a twinge of disappointment. _Really, the library? I have to come here all the time for tutoring._ Although lately my tutors had been calling out because my new appearance disturbed them. I didn't mind all too much; it was more time to spend with Ronin.

"Okay, I'm taking off your blindfold…"

The sudden onslaught of light was too much. I squinted down at the table before me. A book had apparently been the cause of the thudding sound. It was a book I had never seen before—rare, given the amount of time I spent in the room—and it was beautiful. Soft blue leather with silver embossment that read "The Tales of Yuudai." Dark blue ribbon peeked out from the pages, like a bookmark.

I shot Ronin a look and he shrugged, suddenly red in the face. "I know how you like to hear stories about Yuudai, so I wrote down the best ones I know. I had the crazy old bookbinder in town put the pages together for me. Happy Birthday, Koori." My smile wouldn't stay away. It felt odd and a little out of place on my face (I hadn't really smiled in months) but I was glad Ronin had put it there.

"This is the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me," I told him honestly. He started smiling, too. "And I know just what we're going to do now." Standing up, I grabbed Ronin's hand and dragged him down the countless aisles of the Royal Library. With three turns, left left right, we were there.

Sunlight poured down on the corner from large, vaulted windows. I had snuck a blanket into the library last year, when tutors would still come to see me. Instead of doing any assigned reading I would start fantastic games of hide and seek until they eventually gave up. Then I could retreat to my corner and dream about going outside, once my scheduled tutor time was over.

Ronin was suddenly all awkward limbs and stiffness. He took a step forward as if he wanted to move towards the blanket, but ended up freezing in place. I realized that he was still holding my hand; I used our connection to pull him down after me. He landed hard by my side. For a moment I thought I'd hurt him, he was so quiet. He laughed, though, and I remembered that he was learning to fight with two broadswords so he was probably used to bumps and bruises by that point.

"Read to me?"

He nodded. I leaned back and stretched out, closing my eyes.

"Part Seven, in which Yuudai decides to enter the Spirit World."

That sounded wrong, even when read in Ronin's deep voice. My face twisted into a scowl. "Why are you skipping the whole beginning?" I snapped.

"Well, I—"

"Everyone knows the beginning is the best part!" _Okay, this is _seriously_ bugging me!_

"I just thought that…"

"That's where he trains and realizes what his destiny will be, and he has his first battles." _Why is this bothering me? _I was sitting up at that point, my hands clenching onto the pages of the book that Ronin was also holding. With a jolt, I realized I was speaking through clenched teeth. Something raced through my veins demanding that I rip the book away from him, beat him over the head with it, and maybe try something a little darker. Ronin stared at me with wide eyes that quickly narrowed in scrutiny. I forced my eyes shut and turned away, releasing the book. It fell to the ground with a thud but we both ignored it.

"Koori, what's been going on with you lately? I'm just trying to read from this book like you asked."

I pressed my fingers to my temples, struggling to breathe normally. "I don't know, Ronin. I honestly don't know."

"I've always been the one with the temper between us," he reminded me. "But lately you've been down everyone's throats. Just the other day, you threatened to have your cook maimed because the frosting on your birthday cake wasn't the perfect shade of periwinkle." His hand sought mine until our fingers interlaced. "That's not the Koori I remember."

Rage flared up again and I pulled my hand away. "Well maybe you're remembering wrong."

"_Koori_." Ronin was staring at me again.

I grimaced. "Sorry. I just… I don't know what's going on anymore, Ronin. I really don't."

"Are you scared?"

"No." It was a whisper, but it was the truth. I felt like something had started to hollow me out from the inside. It had taken my fear away, leaving me bold and reckless and just a touch inconsiderate. Now it was chipping away at my self-control; even though I should have feared what that would do to me, I was empty.

"Well I am. And I think I know what the problem is."

Tentatively I reached for Ronin's hand again and pressed it to my face. There was something real there, behind the weight of that contact. It was the one spot of warmth that I could feel. I tried to focus on that and tune everything else out. "What is it?"

"Your herbs, Koori."

I scowled and dropped his hand. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"What else have you done differently in the past year? I'm telling you, those things aren't good for you."

"Ronin, you don't have to deal with what I'm going through so you can't tell me what is right for me. Listen to what I'm saying: without my cure, I would be a walking hallucinating mess right now! You said you were afraid of losing me once. Well I'm trying to stay here for you and now you're telling me that's _a bad thing?_"

He was silent for a long while with pursed lips. When he eventually spoke, he didn't have the rage that I was expecting. It was like a strange sort of role reversal, him staying calm and me blowing my top. "I just worry about you because…"

"Because _what._"

A small smile graced the corner of his lips. "You can't tell me that you haven't figured it out by now."

I wanted to strangle it out of him. "What the _hell _are you talking about, you little shit?"

He just leaned over and kissed me. When it was over, Ronin stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, but the room wouldn't stop spinning before I tried to stand up. His hands steadied me for the second time that day. This time, his fingertips left strange tingling sensations all over my body. My head must have been full of air, it was so light. We both waited a few moments for the other to speak first. For some reason my brain was having trouble composing sentences, so Ronin broke the silence. "Same time next week, then." I nodded dumbly, which was apparently enough for him, because he turned and walked away. Another goofy grin broke out onto my face. Almost absentmindedly, my fingers moved up to touch my lips and the memory of my first kiss. _Same time next week, then_.

Nothing ever goes as planned. Before the week was out, Ronin had left and I wanted him dead.

* * *

><p>The memory left me angrier than I had been in a long time. I stared down at the neat script, Ronin's perfect handwriting. <em>Part Seven, in which Yuudai decides to enter the Spirit World<em>. With a fierce growl I slammed the book shut and hurled it across the room. My squeaking chambermaid hustled to the fallen birthday gift and ran off, presumably to return it to my chambers. They all knew the rules: if any of them damaged my personal belongings, they would be severely punished.

Ever since that fateful day two years ago, I discovered that I had a talent for punishing others. Not only was it a talent, it was a _hobby._ One day soon, I hoped to hunt down all of those who had betrayed me and escaped. The grand total amounted to one, but it was one too many. I still remembered Ronin's face: those inhumanly beautiful eyes and his sarcastic features… My old best friend who had dared to leave me, citing reasons that included cruelty and a parting of ways. I wanted to "part" his hair from his head and his spirit from his body. But that could wait, because once the issue of the world's last hope was taken care of, I would finally exact my revenge on that stuck up little boy, and—

"Highness," a man called timidly, peeking his head around the door into my icy chamber. I straightened at the rank of Princess: without any other people in positions of power, it did not matter what my subjects called me. Just as long as they understood that I controlled every aspect of their lives, that I was perfect and they were flawed, that if they failed to meet my commands then they would learn the true meaning of pain, the world existed in a perfect balance. My eyes narrowed in instant dislike of the man, and I smirked as he squirmed under my stunning gray stare.

"You had better have a good reason for interrupting me," I snarled, the sound bell-like and quite beautiful, "or I will personally make your life miserable." The man simply quaked in response, eyeing the enormous ice spikes that protruded from the floor of the room. He was probably wondering where they had come from—how had they just appeared? Or maybe he knew about Bending in general, which many people did, but he wasn't sure how it was possible to have a Bender be silent in my throne room. I didn't care to know his thoughts on the matter. I was content with knowing my own power, because the power was what scared them.

"My most humble apologies, Majesty…" the man faltered, but I half-smiled at his groveling. Encouraged, he continued, "I was taking a stroll through the Palace, and I heard Tsuneo discussing… the, uh, forbidden subject."

"I don't have time for these cryptic messages," I snapped, and though I thought I was being friendly, the man cringed back from me. _Hmm. Maybe my people skills need some work._ I tried my best to give him a warm and friendly smile; it worked almost instantaneously.

"Bending, Highness," the man announced with a trace of fear in his voice. "More specifically your abilities, but…" He trailed off, his eyes suddenly landing on my hands. I glanced down at them to find myself clenching at the throne. Tendons were popping visibly and I had a difficult time breathing. "I didn't believe him, of course, Highness…" But I saw it in his eyes—the way he was staring at those icy spikes left no doubt in my mind that he was slowly piecing it together.

Terror and rage grappled within me; for a moment I felt like a middle-aged woman, and then everything settled. "Bring me Tsuneo," I commanded. Anger simmered under the flat tone of my voice. The man bowed out respectfully. He returned a half-second later, dragging in a pleading and whining Tsuneo with him. My upper lip curled into a sneer at the sight of him, trembling on the frosted ground at my feet.

"Highness, please!" he screamed. "I had no idea that you did not wish—"

"Speaking of Bending is _forbidden_," I snarled, emphasizing the last word while leaning forward to glare at him. "How convenient that you would be the one to spread the word." I thought this over, the concept and plot taking root in my mind. "That _you_, the one who predicted my downfall, would be the one to tell people I was a Bender. Everyone knows Benders over the age of ten are insane, and out of their minds! Yes, how very convenient indeed… That _you_ would be the one to start a rumor which could lead to a coup."

"Highness, I would never—"

"You are hereby under arrest for treason," I interrupted him. He stared up at me, horrorstruck, but did not move. It took me a moment to see the humor in the situation, and I nearly laughed. _He thinks I will have him physically detained!_ "Tsuneo, do you honestly believe that I would let _my guards_ handle traitors to my rule? The most dangerous threats there are? No. No, my second-rate fortuneteller, I deal with traitors myself." I gave him a nasty, toothy smile and smirked while a shiver ran up his spine. "Perhaps, if you beg for mercy, I will forgive you."

"Please, Highness," the man whispered. His eyes, his posture, everything was repentant. "My wife, she will tell you I am an honest man. I would never intentionally do anything to harm you. Please, Highness. Spare me. Show me mercy and I—"

"No thanks," I answered lightly. I brought up my right hand. Tsuneo's neck bowed unwillingly to the ground before jerking up. His hands pushed his body off the floor until he stood erect, eyes darting wildly about the room.

"Highness, please—" He never got to finish his plea; tiring of what seemed to be an eternal whine, I forced his mouth shut. With a grin, I jerked my new puppet to the left and… _forgot _to make him stop. He crashed against the wall and slumped to the floor before flying across to the right. Finally, I restored him to the middle of my throne room, savoring the agony that gleamed in his eyes. I had all but forgotten the other man watching my puppet dance because I was so focused on that expression of terror. There was nothing quite like it, not anywhere in the world.

"Now," I sighed, tapping my fingers on my chair. What were once frosty fingerprints blossomed into tiny ice crystals. Tsuneo's body jerked occasionally, in time with my finger tapping. "I could just end it now. Or maybe throw you around some more. I could force you to your knees until you beg me to stop. But… I like to watch people crumble." So I left him standing while I summoned the energy for my next task, my next punishment for the man who had tried to dethrone me.

It took several moments for the effect to start working. His face twisted in anguish while the unnatural chill crept into his veins. I had felt it once myself—knew how the cold would overtake everything, pushing out every thought in his mind except the pain, the unbearable pain of having something so impossibly cold in every nook and cranny. Then his brain would scream in protest because it was too cold to function and his temples would ache, but no relief would come. It would just continue spreading, worse and worse and worse.

The cold would suck everything out of him, turn his bones to brittle ice and his muscles to dried out pieces of meat. His teeth would rattle in his head, chattering until they snapped. All because of the excruciating cold, something no man was ever created to bear.

And then it would become worse.

It was something I had created for traitors just like him, for those who dared to suggest that there was another way of life besides the one I had designated for the world. Only after their blood was nearly frozen, a sluggish slush inside of them that would serve no purpose but to torment, I unleashed my full anger. And Tsuneo crumbled, just as I knew he would. With a terrible scream, my former fortuneteller seized his leg and collapsed, writhing on the ground in pain. It could only last a few seconds: once the blood spiked fiercely out of his veins and into his legs, he was not long for this world. But I watched every second of it coldly. I watched the traitor suffer the punishment that anyone of his caliber deserved.

Then I returned my attention to the other man, whose face was whiter than mine. My silver-gray eyes narrowed in intense anger. Once I let loose every one of my restrained emotions, it became difficult to control them again. But when I flashed—when my throne room disappeared for a moment, to be replaced by a strange place where the trees hung upside down—I reached down to my side to grab the flask. I chugged its contents and they kept me rooted, free to stare at my victim who was now motionless on the floor.

"Go."

It was a single word, only one command, but after the display he had just witnessed, the other man decided it was best not to push his luck. He scurried out the door like the weak fool that he was. I allowed myself a small smile.

That was the way it should be.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello again everyone! We're back for another week to check in with our favorite Empress! I really got the sense that I didn't give her any character development the last time I posted this story, and I didn't really investigate her connection with Ronin, either. So that is why you get some more Koori/Ronin "fluff gone wrong."**

**This interlude is a little shy of 4,000 words. If you have any questions about the chapter, just let me know in a PM or a review!**

**Tainted- Thanks for reviewing! Also, thanks for the VCs and the cookie cannon! Much appreciated!**

**Also, I would like to say thank you to those who have favorited my story and/or signed up for alerts. It means a lot that you are so interested in what I have to write, even if you keep quiet about it. So thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart! See you next week!**


	20. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N- Fair warning. This chapter contains some language, as well as violence. Please read accordingly.**

[-Chapter Sixteen-]

"Let all who see this today…"

I tuned the drone of Aku's voice out; it was plain to anyone that he was going to enjoy this very much. I couldn't bring myself to care. I was completely empty inside. There was no fear, no horror, no urge to resist. What was the point? I wasn't fighting for anyone. There was no one worth saving—they'd already taken my sister away from me. What more could they possibly take? Perhaps I should have just run away when I had the chance, to spare myself the crushing loneliness. To save myself the guilt and humiliation, or the absolute despair that came over me every time I was forced to look at my father. To save myself the sight of my mother, broken and half-crazy with sadness after losing her little baby.

"…Hear and understand the…"

It had been three weeks since Aiko was stolen from me. My birthday was tomorrow, my sixteenth birthday, but I had never cared less about that than I did right now. I just couldn't bring myself to care about anything. I'd gone into seclusion, avoiding my friends and family. It turns out that Makoto was out of town indefinitely, and I wasted my time foolishly waiting for him. Not that it would have made a difference—what could Makoto do against twenty Chen-Li agents? His father may have been the most important man in town, but that didn't carry over much to Makoto.

"…Consequences of disobeying Empress Koori's laws…"

Or maybe, I mused, it actually did. He was rich and influential, just as much as his father was. People even tended to disapprove of the friendship and relationship that Risu and I had… once had, with Koto. He was just "too good" for the poorer class. I sighed to myself: it didn't seem fair that the good-looking people got all of the money, too.

"Remember, citizens: Violators of the law…"

Makoto, I remembered, could return today. Well, hopefully he wouldn't see my punishment being carried out. I couldn't handle seeing him break down when he learned that Risu was dead, when he realized that I had lost all desire for anything and might as well be dead too. I didn't want to know what would happen. I wanted to go back to that day in his room with him and Risu, and say that Pai-Sho was stupid and anyone who played it needed to get a life. Then I would chuck his stupid Pai-Sho tiles out the window and he'd flash that crooked little smile at me, the one that used to make my heart melt... Of course, my heart was long gone, ripped away for storage deep in the recesses of Omashu.

"…will be severely punished."

I was just glad to get the never-ending speech out of the way—I had the distinct notion that Aku was drawing it out to make me more uncomfortable. But he was failing miserably, because I couldn't feel anything at all. I was still quite empty inside, and I could tell he registered that fact after staring at my blank expression. At a nod from Aku, two Chen-Li agents seized me underneath my arms. They lifted me bodily to a post near the center of the square. My wrists were bound in manacles, which they chained over my head. The handcuffs chaffed; their weight seemed to drag me into the ground. When all was said and done, Aku walked to stand in front of me. His henchmen were behind me, shuffling around. I kept my eyes on the demon.

"For her crimes against Empress Koori," —_only this prissy lapdog would know the true title of the leader of the Earth_— "Hikari of Gaoling will receive five lashes. She will also receive thirty five lashes for interfering with the enforcement of a law." A gasp rippled through the crowd behind me, and though I could not see them I could feel the astonished stares piercing my back. Forty lashes was unheard of, ever, and I knew that to _them_ I looked very frail and petite, like I could break after just one.

But I would not break. I would not cry out. I couldn't give that vermin the satisfaction.

_Besides, it will be a relief to feel something after a month of nothingness._

"One." The whip cracked through the air. My shirt was still on, which offered me some protection from the sting of the lash on my back. "Two." It was starting to burn. "Three." This time it landed across my arms, which my shirt did not cover; I thought of when a nest of hornet-wasps had stung me in the field. I was eight, but I still remembered the burning. A whip on bare skin felt very much like that burning. "Four. Five."

By now I was beyond the stage of "uncomfortable." My body twitched each time the lash struck. I felt tears forming in my eyes, and just as quickly blinked them away. _No. I will not break._ When the next blow landed ("Ten"), my mouth popped open. Aku moved in the corner of my vision; I forced my mouth shut.

He held up his hand, and the crowd buzzed with what I hoped was gratitude. _Oh, Aku is going to let her off with only ten_, they seemed to be saying. But I glared at him, panting, because I knew better. Aku made a swift hand motion, shook his head once, waited, and then nodded. When he saw me glaring at him, his entire face darkened. He marched up to me, trekking through the mud in his precious uniform—_shit he must be really mad—_and grabbed my face in one hand over the whipping post.

"You think you're so _tough_, you little bitch. Well I finally have my one chance, and I am not going to miss it. _I. Will. Break you._" Then he pulled back and spit on my face. The crowd gasped. And I, after weeks of nothingness and abject despair, felt the beginnings of a rage simmering in my blood. "Let's see how you handle _this._ Eleven!"

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't as painful as what I got. My back erupted in flames of hurt and my body contorted before I could stop it. "Twelve!" Again, the pain seemed to come from everywhere at once: my back, my arms, my neck. Then I realized what was happening. "Thirteen!" That bastard was using the nine tails on me, so every whip was really nine in one. That meant not _thirty_ more lashes, but _three hundred and sixty_ more lashes. "Fourteen!" My fists clenched and rubbed against the manacles, jerking with the rest of my body. I tried to focus on keeping control over my legs, but… "Leave no area untouched! _Fifteen_!" And suddenly my legs stung and I lost my footing and I was face down in the mud.

"Get up," Aku snarled. I hesitated, running a quick mental check of my limbs. "_Get up!_" he screamed; desperate to retain any dignity I had left, I worked my way to my feet slowly. _I do not dance for you._

There was a wild look in Aku's eye now, which carried into his voice. "Sixteen!" I stared him down with my jaw set, even as my body twitched. "_Seventeen! Put your backs into it!_" It was getting harder and harder for me to stay silent, but I could see that it infuriated him. "Eighteen!" By now my shirt had shredded under the lash. I felt more exposed than ever; there was little I could do save close my eyes and wait. "Nineteen!" My teeth ground up against one another. I felt the tears again. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep them at bay. "Twenty!" That last breath was a little sharper, close to a hiss but not quite. When I let my eyes travel down to the mud pit, I saw that it was a strange reddish-brown. Then I felt the wind across my back and I_ knew_ by how cold I felt. I wondered how badly cut up my back was. My blood swirled around my ankles, mingling with the earth of my birthplace. I was freezing, bleeding, and utterly alone. But I was beating Aku at his own game.

When I made eye contact with Aku again, he had his hand up. _That explains why it doesn't hurt right now._ "Gentlemen, that will be enough. I can take it from here."

"But sir, that goes against custom—"

"_I WILL BREAK HER!"_ For the first time in my life, I felt a shiver of fear that was unconnected to my baby sister. Aku disappeared from my line of sight. I heard more rustling, a gasp from the ground, and the sound of rocks clicking against each other. _Rocks_?

"_Twenty-one!"_

I liked to think that everyone has their breaking point when it comes to pain. Surprise pain can make anyone cry out, but when someone expects that the pain will be there, they can usually last a little longer against the assault. Maybe. I also liked to think that I had a pretty high tolerance for pain. At the very least, I had enough pride to disguise my discomfort. But when that new whip hit me, and then hit me again, I lost sight of myself.

The scream ripped out of me before I could stop it. Dull bruising points dug into tender, exposed flesh that was already throbbing. My entire world narrowed to the pain that radiated from my back. I bit down on my lip immediately, but I was too late. Aku laughed, a wild and demonic sound. The rocks clicked together again.

I don't remember how long, or how often, I screamed. I know that I did not beg. I could not form the words to beg. My mind had forgotten them.

At some point my vision turned into a series of little black dots. The dots grew and expanded until they took over what I was seeing. Then I saw only blackness, and I knew only pain.

"Thirty-five!" His voice was dark with malice and delight. My mouth was salty. _I'm crying_, I realized suddenly, but then the whip lashed across my arms and the rocks ripped into my skin. I stopped thinking again.

By the time the last crack of the whip faded, I was a huddled mess by the whipping post. My knees were buried in the mud, something for which I was grateful. The mud pooled over the tender lacerations on the backs of my legs. There was probably an irony in that—mud formed by my blood soothes my whipping wounds—but I could not bring myself to think about it. Cool air raced across my back, which felt nice but did little to stop the pain.

A Chen-Li agent came over to me and unlocked the manacles around my wrists. It was as if all the strength went out of me: I slumped to the ground on my side. A sharp ache ran through my body at the contact which I ignored. I studied my wrists dully: rough blisters and weeping sores greeted my eyes.

_Well Aku might get his wish. I might actually die. If the pain doesn't kill me then infection will_. This bothered me a lot less than it should have. Aku was right: he had broken me. I had screamed, and cried, and lost control. I acted like a child; what was the point of trying to survive such a dishonor?

"You think you're so tough," Aku hissed. He was standing over me. I focused my eyes on his toes. For some reason, I could see six feet wobbling in my vision. _Since when does Aku have six feet?_ "But you have nothing. You _are_ nothing. And now you know it. Look around, Hikari." I tried to lift up my head but my neck screamed in protest—_Spirits, he even got my neck_—so I stopped. "Your people, your so-called friends, even your family… No one is here to help you. You are all alone now. Completely at my mercy."

My body could not even muster up an energy rush to be afraid at that. I wondered vaguely if I would drown in the mud at Aku's feet. The ultimate humiliation.

"Hikari? I heard that you were being punished so I came to… What have you _done_?"

The voice was so beautifully familiar that I wanted to cry. I'm pretty sure I actually started crying again, even though it hurt to breathe. "Koto?" My voice was so weak and pathetic sounding, like something a wounded animal would make.

"Makoto," Aku murmured. There was the sound of rustling silks as the Chen-Li bowed.

"What have you done to her?"

"Hikari interfered in the enforcement of the new law regarding Benders. We simply followed the prescribed punishment."

"It's ten strikes to the back, correct? With a reed?" There was a silence.

"Where did you see that?" Aku asked. Surprise laced his tone, but he still sounded like a copperadder ready to strike.

"On the flyers that are posted all over town. I can read, Aku. And _that_," Koto's voice shook with rage, "does not look like ten strikes with a reed."

"That prescribed punishment is a mere guideline. Hikari committed a very serious crime. She was going to try and run away with the Bender child, and in the process she assaulted a Chen-Li officer while resisting arrest."

"Who was the child?" Another silence. "Who was the child?"

Finally, another agent spoke up to answer Koto's question. "The little girl, Aiko." I _heard_ the harsh sound of Koto's breath before feet stomped over to my head.

"Think carefully, Makoto," Aku's silky voice warned. He sounded almost smug. I could picture the two of them: Koto standing with his fists clenched and glaring daggers at Aku, who had his calm mask on to disguise his triumph. "You don't want to get yourself in trouble." Koto just snorted is obvious disgust.

I didn't know if Koto was trying to be gentle when he picked me up off the ground, but he didn't do it right. My back felt as though he was rubbing sand into it and I gasped. New tears sprung to my eyes. If I didn't know better, I would have said there was a newborn kitten around based on my constant mewling. "Shh," Koto whispered. "Shh, Kari, it will be okay, I promise." The swinging motion of his body would have been comfortable if it hadn't knocked my legs together. Everything just hurt.

I tried to tell him. "Makoto, it hurts."

I wasn't sure I made any sense, because he just said, "Shh," and kept walking. The last thing I remembered was a set of cool lips pressed to my forehead.

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><p><strong>AN- Hi everyone! I hope you've been enjoying your week. It looks like Hikari hasn't been (too soon? That probably wasn't very nice)... Anyway, this chapter is about 2500 words, so a little shorter than last week. However, it's not short on emotion in the slightest.**

**No reviews to respond to this week, but please feel free to leave me one! I always like to know what my readers are thinking, or at least know that someone is reading this. I will *never* withhold chapters to force people to reply... but you guys inspire me to keep going!**

**So enjoy the chapter, and hopefully I will see you next week!**


	21. Chapter Seventeen

[-Chapter Seventeen-]

I opened my eyes to a sight so beautiful it took my breath away. My body was at the foot of a hill, which I felt as soon as I sat up. Above me a brilliant blue sky yawned wide. Not a cloud was in sight, and the sun beat down so strong onto my skin that I thought my blood would boil over. I could feel the magnetic pull from the sunshine, the way that my entire being wanted to rise up to meet it. I felt awake, alive. It left my skin tingling.

Below me and around me was something no one had seen in at least one hundred years: _grass_. I wasn't sure how I knew what the short green plant even was. The word just came to my tongue, as if I had seen it before somewhere. But that, of course, was impossible. Our constant rain and snow had long ago killed off all but the hardiest of plants. Prickle trees and brier bushes, that was all that remained of nature anymore. Everything else was dead, or mud.

Grass was soft, I realized quickly. Soft and springy. When I stood, I felt like I was walking on little clouds. It made me envious of the magical place where I was. I wanted to take some of the grass and bring it home with me. _Maybe I could start a grass garden. It seems to grow fast enough._ Yet even my common sense told me that the grass would never survive outside of this magical place. Not that I even knew where this place was.

"Hikari!" I froze. "Hikari, come here!"

My feet were moving before I could feel the wind against my face. I passed large pine trees that were five times the height of my house. There were giant boulders that splotched dull grey against the vibrant grass. Little flowers bloomed everywhere. Red, yellow, and orange erupted over the hillside until I started to wonder if the Sun Spirit had touched the Physical World.

"Hikari," the faint little voice laughed, "what's taking you so long?"

"I'm coming, Aiko. I'm coming!" The landscape all started to blur together; I could feel the wind at my back, urging me onward. My legs took on alien strength and speed for the final dash up a large hill. I reached the top panting, doubled over, and out of breath. That didn't stop Aiko from shrieking and trying to leap on me; I straightened back up in time to dodge her assault, and then catch her. She was heavier than I remembered—the weight in my arms distributed itself differently and yet she looked exactly she same as when I'd left her.

Well, maybe not. My eyes roved her face hungrily, trying to imprint every feature into a memory. Her eyes looked rounder and brighter. The dark circles from sleepless nights had disappeared. There was a pink glow to her skin, as if she'd been eating well for the first time in her life, and her face wasn't bony thin. Even her hair was sleeker. "Kari, why are you staring at me?"

I just shook my head. "You are so… _beautiful_, do you know that?"

She swatted at my face; I ducked away. "You're so silly! Come on, let's play!"

My expression twisted before I thought to stop it. "Play what?"

Aiko frowned at me. "What's the matter with you, Hikari? You used to be so much more fun!" Her words stung, but I just stuck my tongue out at her. She offered her hand to me and we walked a few paces away to the edge of the hill. "Now lay down!" I did as she bid me, knowing what would happen next. We would roll down the hill like logs, laughing and screaming just to jump back up and do it again. After the sky stopped spinning, of course.

"Three!" Aiko shouted, dropping to the ground. "Two!" I followed suit, inching forward until our noses were practically touching. She flashed me a smile. I responded in kind. "ON—_Kari, your _face!" The smile was gone; her eyebrows knit together and lines erupted on her forehead. It was like watching clouds cover the sun, the way she crumpled in on herself.

"Aiko, what are you talking about? Come on, we were going to have fun, remember? Nothing's wrong with my face."

My baby sister looked at me, frowned, and then reached out with a tentative hand to touch my right cheek. Her fingers came back bright red; I could feel a drop of liquid ooze into the crack between my lips. "Your face," she whispered softly.

"Aiko, please," I whispered back. "Please, let's just play our game. You don't have to worry about me." I shivered at her expression, but she nodded and laid back down flat.

"One!"

I propelled myself forward. Judging by the distance of the hill I'd seen earlier, we would have at least thirty seconds of rolling before we would coast to a stop. About fifteen seconds in, however, the ground fell out from underneath me. Involuntarily, I screamed. Then I realized that I didn't hear any other voice. "Aiko?" Silence, except for the whistling wind in my ears. "_Aiko!"_ I looked down to try and find her, fighting against the panic rising in my throat. The view didn't do much to stop the panic: grass and hard-packed earth were approaching at a speed that would surely kill me. _Three. Two. One_. I rammed my eyes shut and prayed to the Spirits en masse.

My body slammed into the ground. I could sense the earth giving way, almost molding itself _around me_ to cushion the fall a little. At any rate, when I sat up to frantically search for my sister I was only a little short of breath. My back was a little bit on the sore side, but nothing I couldn't deal with.

I had fallen into a cavern of some kind. The walls soared up above me by at least six of my own height. Aiko was nowhere in sight, which meant she must have fallen somewhere else. I raced to the walls but with one look I knew I was doomed. They were completely smooth the entire way up, not one single foothold to be found.

"Aiko?" My voice rebounded to echo back at me. I suppressed the urge to scream and instead looked more closely at my surroundings. There was still grass here, but off in the far corner it thinned out to reveal a single pool of water. I raced for the water, hoping against all logic in my brain. No breeze disturbed the still surface; it was as calm as a mirrored piece of glass.

In fact, that's exactly what the pool was like. I skidded to a halt at the water's edge and looked down. My reflection gazed back at me. A face, covered in blood on the right hand side. Her right-side reflected pigtail was matted with blood, but the main concentration of it was under her eye. I dropped to my knees, wary. Something was telling me not to touch this water. With one more glance at my reflection, though, my mind was made up. I cupped my hands and reached out to the pond.

A chill ran through me when my hands slipped under the surface: I didn't disturb the water at all. No ripples, no waves; the pool remained as smooth as glass. As soon as the water brushed my wrists, I felt like my hands were on fire. The water was so _cold_; my bones shrunk away from it and my flesh seemed to turn to brittle waste. Quickly, I pulled my hands back out and splashed the water on my face. In the brief moment before my eyes shut, I thought I saw my reflection change. My face was sharper—_masculine_—with a trimmed beard and no hair on top of my head. Something else was there, a flash of orange and blue, but then the water hit my eyes and I stopped looking.

The blood fell away in globs that shattered when they hit the ground. I could sense that my wound was now clear, but I had traded one problem for another because the cut started burning. My teeth came down on my lip hard to bite back the scream. I was too late, I should have been worried about that water. A chill raced through my blood that drove me to my knees. The sunshine I had been reveling in earlier had withdrawn, leaving behind gray cloud cover that swelled with rain. I curled up tightly, trying to conserve body heat, but it was so cold so cold so cold _why so cold_?

By the time the freezing rain started to fall, I was openly weeping on the ground from the pain of a freezing body temperature. My tears froze on my face and the rain covered me in layer after layer of ice. Within moments I was immobilized, trapped to shiver until I died.

Or perhaps not—I could see a vague shadowy figure beyond my icy prison. It looked like Aiko, but not Aiko at the same time. Her features were distorted by the rain and the ice; her skin was so deathly pale that I wondered how she could be alive. Her hair was so dark that it almost looked like a halo of darkness surrounded her. _Maybe she isn't Aiko,_ I shivered, _but maybe she can help me_.

The girl drew closer; shifted so that I was huddled between her and the pond. Then, with a single scathing laugh, she shoved. I rolled down away from her, into the freezing blackness of that still, still pond. The chill clawed at me now; my brain could barely focus beyond the pain. Right before my vision went white, I wondered: _did I leave any ripples?_

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><p>My eyes opened to a different scene: bright, colorful, and cheerful. I didn't recognize the place, and the weather outside was bright and sunny, though nearing sunset, without a cloud in the sky. <em>That<em> was what caught my attention: clouds always loomed on the horizon in my world. The planet was constantly storming and raining; a completely cloudless day hadn't been seen in five years. _Where am I, exactly?_

Wherever it was, the place was certainly lively. Glowing golden lanterns hung in beautiful streaks across the open courtyard. They reflected brilliantly over the decorations, all in some hue of red or gold. A huge crowd of people gathered below, chatting and looking content. I tried to turn my head to look around, but found that I could not. That scared me as well—_why can't I control my body_? I waved a hand to see what would happen. My hands remained folded in front of me, wrapped in a cloth so fine that I did not know the name for it.

Then I was moving, sweeping gracefully down a set of stairs. My head swiveled through the crowd and landed on the face of a very pretty girl. Her friend standing next to her looked at me knowingly and giggled. The girl in question blushed and looked away; my heart started speeding racing like it wanted to run out of my chest. My feet became hopelessly tangled in themselves and tripped me. I let my mouth open to shout in surprise…

And an iron grip latched around my left hand. I heard a hearty laugh behind me; the body that I was in recognized it. I caught a quick glimpse of his face—shorter than I, with dark hair—before the crowd fell silent. It seemed out of place in the celebratory atmosphere, and very quickly the sea of people parted.

Walking up towards this dark-haired boy and me were five old men. They wore sweeping red robes that must have looked similar to mine, though I could not check to be sure. Their heads bore strange red hats, comparable to bottles of water in my village. I felt, rather than saw, the boy next to me rush down the stairs to greet the men. I took the chance to study the boy who had saved my knees—his red robe was edged with gold, and there was an air of power about him. It was akin to the way the leader of the Chen-Li carried himself. The thought would have made me stiffen… if this body were mine to control.

"Did something happen to my father?" the boy asked worriedly. My mental anger towards him softened: perhaps he wasn't as evil as I first thought. Although I no longer felt anything towards _my_ father, I could have understood that fear once.

"No, Prince Sozin," the oldest of the five men rasped. _Sozin…_ the name was so familiar. It itched at the back of my mind; I knew it was important, but I just couldn't think of it. "We are not here for you. We are here to announce the identity of the next Avatar." Tremors of shock flew through the crowd, followed by whispers of speculation and curiosity. Apparently being an Avatar was a big deal in this place, though I had no idea what the word meant. Like Sozin, the name held a burning importance to me for some reason, but the memories wouldn't come. "It is our honor to serve you, Avatar Roku."

I felt my face go slack with shock. Oh yes, being an Avatar was an extremely big deal. The five older men were bowing to me, and then it was the entire crowd. Everybody except the young Prince, Prince _Sozin_, who hesitated momentarily and stared at me in wonder. Maybe it was just my suspicious mind, but I thought I saw something else in his expression. But then he was bowing, too, and I wasn't quite sure what to think as the world slowly evaporated in a white mist.

_Avatar Roku…_

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><p>I came to on a bright and sunny day that was much, much colder than where I had just been. The muscles of my body felt detached and separated, as if I had not moved them in a while. I slowly became aware of a gloved hand gently cradling the back of my head, along with the knowledge that I no longer had any hair.<p>

I trained my sight on _another_ very pretty girl. _Where does my mind come up with these things?_ She had wide, blue eyes and a kind face. Her skin was very tan, which complimented her dark hair. A ring of her hair surrounded her face, but her heavy-duty blue parka hood covered most of it. White fur, softer than any snow I had ever seen, circled the rest of her face. A slight breeze wafted between us, catching two hair loopies and playing with them softly. She gasped in wonder while looking at me. I felt confused (and not just my brain, but the body I was in also felt the confusion) which I didn't quite understand, because she was very, very beautiful. I knew in that instant that I had to do something, anything, to see her again.

"I need to ask you something," I whispered. The weak quality of my voice surprised me. _What is going on? Why can't I talk?_

"What?" she asked, and her voice was prettier than anything I'd ever heard. _Well I'm glad _you_ think so little boy, whoever you are. _I could tell by the sound of my voice that I must have been quite young. No older than twelve or thirteen.

"Please…" I rasped. "Come closer." I looked at my surroundings again—if I remembered correctly, it was somewhere around the South Pole. And that meant penguins, which led to my favorite pastime… _What am I _thinking_ right now?_

"What is it?" she asked again. I took a silent breath, found my voice, and smiled up at her.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" I inquired in a rush while giving her my best, winning grin. She pulled away, a little surprised by my question.

"Uhh… sure, I guess," she shrugged. In my stomach I did six or seven back flips. "As long as you're okay."

I frowned. This wasn't going right; she wasn't supposed to say that last part. I remembered it all like it had just happened yesterday, and her answer had definitely been different. "Are you okay?" she asked me. I could feel something else now, this strange body warring with my mind for domination of the dream. "Can you hear me?" Her voice was off, too. It was deeper. "Kari, can you hear me?" Yes, that was definitely a man's voice. But that girl wasn't a man…

I looked back up at her, just to make sure that she wasn't a dream, but the girl was gone. "Kari," the dreamlike male voice whispered. That… was my name. _My name._ But then who had I been moments ago? I couldn't even remember. It had something to do with… to do with icebergs. And a very pretty girl; two of them, actually. And someone called "Sozin"—there was that burning sense of familiarity again—and _Avatars._

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><p><strong>AN- Hello again everyone! Hope you've had a great week. No reviews to reply to... I'm starting to wonder if I'm talking to myself in these author notes XD Well anyway, enjoy the next seven days and I will see you again soon!**

**TWELVE DAYS TILL MY BIRTHDAY! WOO!**

**GO USA GYMNASTICS! MORE WOOING!**


	22. Chapter Eighteen

**[-Chapter Eighteen-]**

The closer I got to opening my eyes, the more aware I became of a burning sensation in my back. I shrank away from it, not wanting to go back to the pain. Not to the physical pain, not to the emotional pain.

"Kari?" the voice called to me again. There were hints of worry to it this time, something that had not been there before. "Kari, if you can hear me… you're going to feel some pain in your back. I'm having people clean it, but it's pretty nasty. Kari? Kari, can you hear me?"

_Yes_, I tried to say, but my mouth wouldn't move. I stared blindly at the insides of my eyelids. I was too tired to open them. It took too much effort. They could stay closed, for all that I cared. I could keep them shut to the horrors of the world that way. No more uncaring fathers or heartbroken mothers, no more evil people and bad things, no more Arisu or Makoto, no more chances for revenge… Okay, so there were some upsides to having open eyes. But I just wasn't ready yet, so—

My back was on fire. Burning. It hurt, consumed every thought that I had. Fire in my veins. Screaming through me, but I would not scream. My fingers came to life and wrapped around something soft. I immediately thought of the Chen-Li and bit back the scream that threatened to escape my lips. They were probably "punishing" me again. Well, let them work. I was not going to scream ever again.

The fire receded and then started again, burning worse than ever. I had no energy to keep my head up and let it droop instead, relishing the softness of the pillow below it.

Pillows? No one in town had pillows. Well… one person did. And he was the only one who would have helped me.

"Koto!" I wanted to scream but it came out a hoarse whimper. I tried again. "KOTO!" My voice was piercing. He needed to hear me over the fire. _It burns it burns it burns_.

"Kari?" Makoto shouted. The fire was burning everywhere now. "Kari, look at me." My eyes wouldn't open, but my head throbbed in response.

"Mmm," was all that I could manage, and then the pain erupted again. My body revolted and I screamed; my hands became claws, tearing at everything around them. Someone—Makoto?—grabbed my hands. I felt like I could break his bones, I was holding on so tightly. But Koto didn't complain once.

Even as the fire receded, my body continued shaking. My face was soaked—was it the pain? Was it tears? I had no idea—until a sob ripped from my throat.

"It's okay, Kari. It's done," Makoto reassured me. His calming smell enveloped me again: peaches and soap. _Calm. Calm down. Focus on Koto. He smells good. _

He must have heard my sniffling. "What is it?"

"Smell," I moaned, but he didn't understand and told me so. I yawned then, and he squeezed my hand. Suddenly my back was burning; I screamed again.

"Easy, Kari. They're just bandages." Then I realized that they were icy cold, which almost felt worse than the fire from earlier. _Stupid bandages._

Bandages for my whipping, which I had gotten because I tried to save Aiko. Tried. To. Save.

The wave of despair washed over me again, and I didn't make any more attempts to fight back. These invisible people that I couldn't see wrapped me up tightly until I could barely breathe. Still I couldn't bring myself to care. I was a failure. Failures didn't deserve to breathe, or have friends, or anything. Failures deserved to wander the earth until they made up for their failure. For me, that meant rescuing Aiko.

Rescuing… Aiko…

How had I never thought of that before? Just because I'd lost her once didn't mean that I couldn't retrieve her. And there would be no one to stop us, that much I knew for sure.

_What if she's crazy already?_ a tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind.

_Then I'll find a cure,_ I snapped back. I wasn't going to let my pessimism ruin my new purpose in life. I was going to save my sister. No one was going to get in my way.

Well, not if they intended to make it out alive.

My eyes fluttered open, and I stared over at Makoto's face. His light skin, his dark brown hair kept half-up, half-down in a short ponytail, his beautiful brown eyes trained carefully on me. When he saw that I was looking at him, he smiled his crooked little smile at me. The thick muscles in his neck worked as he swallowed; he squeezed my hand a second time. "You're awake," Koto grinned. It was painfully obvious, but I could see that it did him good to hear it. And I was going to be strong for him.

I gave him my best cheerful look. "And better than ever."

Which wasn't entirely a lie.

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><p><strong>AN: Hi friends! *dodges rotten tomatoes* I know... I sort of went on a random hiatus. Without telling anyone. For over a year. It's been a very busy and awesome year, though, and I'm glad to be back on .**

**If I still have friends, I will freely purchase your affection with chapters and more cookies. And if not... well... the show must go on!**


	23. Chapter Nineteen

[-Chapter Nineteen-]

"By the way, happy birthday," Koto added.

"Birthday?" I mumbled.

"Oh come on—today is the one day you're actually _allowed_ to be spoiled rotten." He gave a crooked grin. "What do you think I got all these pillows for?"

I scowled. "Because I have no real skin left on my back?" He laughed; it was so beautiful it almost took my breath away.

"You're just lucky it was your birthday, that's all I'm saying. I can't believe you're sixteen already! You're gonna be turning into dust in a few days!"

"Well with all this blood, it'd be more like mud."

"Nuance." Muffled voices came from outside the window. Koto's smile faded abruptly. "Did you know that it's the equinox today?"

"Equi—what?" He shrugged and I sighed. "Really, Koto, don't worry about me. I don't need you to talk nonsense to me to make me feel better." I pushed myself up on my hands and then flipped myself over. Three bedroom attendants rushed to my side at the motion. "I'm fine," I scowled at them. Their nervous jumps and nods made me almost regret the tone I had used. "Really, it doesn't even hurt anymore." A lie, but the women looked relieved and scurried away.

"They aren't supposed to leave without my permission." I snorted. "Did you know it's the equinox today?" he repeated.

"Koto, I already told you that I don't need you to—"

"Not for you," he corrected. I took a moment to study Koto—really study him, even though my eyes were having some difficulty focusing. I saw the vein pulsing in his neck, the way his hands were clenched tightly in the nice fabric of his robe. His shoulders were hunched together. He looked like an angry dog.

"Koto, what…"

"Good afternoon, Hikari." My head whirled around to the door of Makoto's bedroom—_he gave up his bedroom for me?_—and found Aku calmly gliding to my bedside. I snuck a glance at Makoto and sure enough, he was glaring at the Chen-Li agent with enough hatred for twenty men. If I listened closely, I could hear the harsh sound of his breathing. He terrified me, this new and angry Koto; I was used to easygoing smiles. "Just checking to make sure that you're still… alive."

"Of course." My heart was pounding, but I managed to keep my cool as I dipped my head in a slight nod. Nothing good enough to satisfy decorum, but just enough to prevent another "punishment" for rudeness.

"That is good news," Aku continued. "We wouldn't want you to have passed on before your time, would we? Especially not on your birthday."

"I know I wouldn't have."

"Hikari, could you possibly be suggesting that I would wish you harm? So," he continued breezily, "Sixteen. That's incredible. I never thought you would make it this far."

"And why wouldn't she?" Koto snarled.

Aku sneered at my lovely Koto. I wanted to jump out of the bed and throttle him for that. "We all know that our darling Hikari has a tendency to get herself in… ah… trouble…"

"Never any real danger, of course—thanks to the Chen-Li, I know I'm always safe," I snapped. He smiled at me and I felt the urge to rip him apart. "By the way, I like your eye. The look really works for you." Aku was sporting a large black eye, a massive bruise that covered almost the entire right half of his face. I wondered if that was from Makoto hitting him. _I hope it hurts._

"I like yours as well."

"Mine?"

"Your scar, Hikari. A perfect teardrop that will never fade." He brought one finger to trace the line, from my right eye to my jawbone—following the path of a knife from a few nights earlier. I stayed frozen in place throughout the process, and Makoto stiffened at my side. "So sad, to always be crying. But that is what happens when you… ah… _fall_ on nails."

I chose not to test the thinly veiled threat in his voice. I knew that he could have told the truth if he wanted to, but he was just trying to save face in the eyes of the town. Well, I'd let him have his face. He'd be getting much worse in the near future. "I suppose so."

"This visit has been _fascinating_. I will spread the good news to your parents, of course." He glided back out before I had a chance to respond. I could hear Makoto grinding his teeth.

"Koto, relax please."

"I really hate that man," he snarled.

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><p><strong>AN:** **Happy Holidays to all my dear readers! Seems like it might only be TigerStriper at this point, but I am *so* glad that you like the story! Don't worry about all the confusion-we're in a very much AU setting, so everything will be confusing for the next... 5 to 7 chapters. It does clear up eventually!**

**Until then... I'll just watch you and giggle ;) is that mean? Well I hope it doesn't drive you away! Keep reading! And thank you for your support (:**

**I know this is a shorter chapter... the next two are a little bit short but after that we should be good!**


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